Chinese state TV programme accused of “blatant antisemitism” after anchor claims “Jews dominate finance and and internet sectors”

Chinese state TV has been accused of airing a programme which expressed “blatant antisemitism”.

Last week on the China Global Television Network (CGTN), presenter Zheng Junfeng discussed the motivation behind the United States’ support for Israel, stating that “some people believe that US pro-Israeli policy is traceable to the influence of wealthy Jews in the US and the Jewish lobby on US foreign policy makers.”

Persisting with the antisemitic stereotype, Mr Zheng went on to say that “Jews dominate finance and and internet sectors…so do they have the powerful lobbies some say? Possible.”

According to the International Definition of Antisemitism, “Making mendacious, dehumanising, demonising, or stereotypical allegations about Jews as such or the power of Jews as collective — such as, especially but not exclusively, the myth about a world Jewish conspiracy or of Jews controlling the media, economy, government or other societal institutions” is an example of antisemitism.

CGTN is the international division of the state-owned China Central Television (CCTV).

The Israeli embassy in China tweeted: “We have hoped that the times of the ‘Jew’s controlling the world’ conspiracy theories were over, unfortunately antisemitism has shown its ugly face again. We are appalled to see blatant antisemitism expressed in an official Chinese media outlet.”

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