In the second week of February, students began to report hateful fliers found around the University’s campus. They were tucked inside zip-lock bags filled with rocks. The title on each of these fliers shamefully attempted to associate COVID-19 with the Jewish community.

Another side of the flier proclaims “WHITE LIVES MATTER.”

These flyers appearing around campus are a depressing reminder that antisemitism and neo-Nazism are still prevalent in the United States, even in Champaign-Urbana. This is not the first time an antisemitic incident has occurred on campus. In 2018, reports of swastika symbols around the city show that bigotry continually exists at the University.

The rise in antisemitism and neo-Nazism in America has been synonymous with the rise in white supremacy, as both are rooted in the same ideals. Radical goals for ethnic cleansing and establishing a fascist ethnostate in America have led to countless attacks on Jews and synagogues. The extremists storming the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 were reportedly holding up antisemitic signs.  

NPR reported that in 2021, 1 in 4 Jews said they experienced antisemitism. Just in January, four people were held hostage in a Texas synagogue. Clearly, antisemitism is not a historical problem, but an ongoing issue that needs to be better addressed. 

Somehow, groups within America that support antisemitism are still allowed to operate in the U.S., Illinois is not safe from this; the Southern Poverty Law Center lists 27 American neo-Nazi hate groups, of which two are based in Illinois.

QAnon, an American far-right extremist group, has also pushed and created antisemitic agenda. They allege that there are Jewish secret societies that are involved in child trafficking, often in tweets spewing hate toward Jewish groups. Through social media like Twitter, they’ve been able to gain a following to spread abhorrent conspiracy theories and racist ideals throughout the internet.

Dylan Wheeler, a former member of QAnon, discussed the idea of the “Jewish Question” in an interview with Slightly Sophisticated. The Jewish Question has roots in Nazism, in which the Holocaust was the “answer” to the problems Jews supposedly posed to the German state. In the 21st century, the term is used by far-right groups like QAnon to argue Jewish people have special control over the media and banks.

Evidently, radical ideas like the Jewish Question spread throughout the U.S. through the many far-right and openly antisemitic groups still active within the country, with these ideas finding their way into our own community. But extremist ideas like antisemitism and neo-Nazism have no place in a campus town promoting education, diversity and inclusion. We need to keep an eye out for less obvious signs of antisemitism that may appear in regular conversation.

If you happen to see one of these fliers on campus, it’s recommended that you take photos of the flier and its location, report it to Campus Belonging Resources and immediately throw the flier out.

I urge Chancellor Robert Jones to keep the University updated on investigations regarding the flyers. Campus surveillance in areas where the flyers were reported should be closely reviewed. It is imperative for students of all ethnicities and religions to feel safe at the University — including the Jewish population at our university. 

Hamza is a freshman in LAS.

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