“Please protect the Jews”
Ideology and concealment in the Britain First solidarity patrol
Shani Burke | Teesside University, UK
This research examined Facebook comments in response to Britain First’s ‘solidarity patrol’ video, in which
Britain First is shown patrolling in Golders Green, North London, ostensibly to show support for the Jewish
community after the shooting in the Kosher supermarket in Paris following the Charlie Hebdo attack. A Critical Discursive
Psychological analysis was conducted on comments. Initial comments were identified as showing support and gratitude towards
Britain First; however, comments became progressively anti-Semitic (e.g. by posing the rhetorical question,
what benefits have Jews brought to Britain?). Results are discussed in terms of how Britain First has managed to
achieve anti-Islamic rhetoric whilst trying to maintain support from the mainstream. This research has identified that discussions
on Facebook have transitioned from Jews being constructed as vulnerable at the hands of Islamic extremism, to Jews being
problematic and the aggressors.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.Data and methods
- 3.Analysis
- 3.1“What have poor Jews ever done”: Showing support for Jews
- 3.2“I say this as a proud British Jew”: Comments from authors who identify themselves as Jewish
- 3.3“Who cares about the Jews?” comments displaying anti-semitic discourse
- 4.Discussion
- 5.Conclusion
- Acknowledgements
-
References
This article is currently available as a sample article.
Published online: 16 October 2017
https://doi.org/10.1075/jlac.5.1.06bur
https://doi.org/10.1075/jlac.5.1.06bur
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.Full-text
“Please protect the Jews”Cited by
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