As the "Occupy Wall Street" (OWS) demonstrations expand from New York to other cities around the country and overseas, several videos and images showing individuals holding anti-Semitic signs or voicing anti-Semitic conspiracy theories at the OWS rallies are circulating online.
While there is no evidence that these incidents are widespread, history reveals how economic downturns can embolden anti-Semites to spread malicious conspiracy theories about Jews and money. The financial crisis over the past few years has shown how turmoil in the markets can be exploited by anti-Semites to promote stereotypes about Jews.
As the focus of the demonstrations continues to develop and evolve, ensuring that the movement does not get hijacked by extremists or anti-Semitic elements is critical. Public rallies like OWS often draw a wide range of people with various personal or organizational agendas, including those seeking to exploit public rallies for their own purposes. The American Nazi Party, for example, expressed their support for OWS rallies in several cities via Twitter.
Thus far, however, anti-Semitism has not gained traction more broadly with the protestors, nor is it representative of the larger movement at this time.