Analysis of Antisemitic Trends in Czech Websites between 1999 and 2022.

Ideological Background, Geolocation, Transparency, and Attitudes on the Russian-Ukrainian War

Abstract

This article provides an original and up-to-date overview of the main trends in Czech online antisemitism by analysing aggregated data from multiple surveys made by the author, which cover two decades spanning from the pioneering era of the Czech internet in the late 1990s to 2022. The study has noted some profound changes in the main sources of contemporary Czech antisemitism – from various flavours of the far-right in the mid-2000s to conspiracy narratives without a clear Left-Right distinction since the mid-2010s. This new generation of antisemitic websites was found to have a longer lifespan and significantly larger audiences while operating with a higher degree of self-confidence from all regions of the country. A strongly pro-Kremlin inclination was found to be a significant feature of almost all antisemitic websites in the country to the extent that they were directly impacted by the February 2022 government crackdown against “pro-Kremlin disinformation platforms”. The aftermath of this crackdown is discussed in the final chapter.