Greater Cincinnati tea party promotes antisemitic speech, conspiracy theories

A prominent Jewish group has denounced a presentation of antisemitic conspiracy theories at the most recent meeting of a Cincinnati-area tea party group.

The West Chester Tea Party hosted Harald Zieger, a Miami Township resident, who claimed without evidence that Jewish people control the economy, media and government, an antisemitic conspiracy theory that dates back to the 19th century and draws upon harmful stereotypes. Zieger gave his presentation to roughly 20 people assembled, according to a video of the speech reviewed by The Enquirer.

Rabbi Ari Jun, the director of the Jewish Community Relations Council, condemned Zieger's speech in a statement sent to The Enquirer.

"We are keenly aware of how antisemitism is on the rise in our country. The normalization of antisemitism by an active, local political organization makes this worse and is absolutely unacceptable," Jun said in the statement.

It's not clear who the members of the West Chester Tea Party are. The Enquirer called and emailed Charis Peterson, who introduced Zieger at the meeting and distributes the organization's newsletter, on Tuesday but did not receive a response prior to this article's publication.

Council calls on the community to stop working with the West Chester Tea Party

The Jewish Community Relations Council handles public affairs for the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati, which supports the local Jewish community.

The council called for the West Chester Tea Party to delete the material and demonstrate a commitment to opposing antisemitism. The council said until that happens, they call on people who consider themselves allies to decline to seek the organization's endorsement, appear at its programs or work with them.

"Doing anything less normalizes this behavior and makes our community less safe," Jun said in the statement.

The tea party group in West Chester, a suburban township of 64,901, formed shortly after the Cincinnati Tea Party in 2009. The group describes itself as a nonpartisan organization of private citizens who value limited government, fiscal responsibility and the free market. The group has held several candidate forums since its founding and received some media attention for a protest it organized in favor of budget cuts in 2011.

More recently the organization has also made numerous antisemitic posts on its Facebook page.

What was presented at the meeting?

Zieger, without evidence, described a vast conspiracy involving the government, investing firms and social media and pharmaceutical companies. He cited "The International Jew," a series of antisemitic articles written by Henry Ford in the 1920s.

In a newsletter sent after the event, the West Chester Tea Party referred to "fake Jews" participating in human trafficking and child sacrifice, another conspiracy theory.

The meeting was held at St. Gertrude the Great Church in West Chester, which is not a part of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. According to the church's website, it rejects Vatican II and requires female parishioners to wear head coverings and "modest dresses or skirts" rather than pants.

The Enquirer reached out to the church office through a phone call and email on Tuesday to ask if its officials were aware of Zieger's presentation but did not receive a response prior to publication.

Misinformation, conspiracy theories on social media

The antisemitic presentation does not appear to be out of place for the organization, whose Facebook page includes posts about antisemitic conspiracy theories along with claims without evidence about climate change, the COVID-19 vaccines and soy in food leading to more transgender people.

One post refers to the Jewish people as the "synagogue of Satan." Another mentions the Rothschild family and implies a global conspiracy. Multiple posts reference a conspiracy theory about "fake Jews."

Each of these are common antisemitic tropes the American Jewish Committee has listed in its Translate Hate glossary, which the committee compiled to help people identify and expose antisemitism.

The West Chester Tea Party also has a Gab account, where they've shared similar content. Gab is a social media platform that was launched in 2016 as an alternative to Facebook and Twitter with fewer content restrictions.

A scroll through Gab's homepage shows multiple posts promoting white nationalist and racist conspiracy theories and misinformation. Providers pulled their services leaving Gab briefly offline in 2018 after it was discovered that the gunman who killed 11 people in the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting had posted antisemitic content on the platform, according to USA Today. USA Today reported that Gab condemned the attack and said it had suspended the shooter's account.

Rep. Sara Carruthers: 'Antisemitism has no place in Butler County'

State Rep. Sara Carruthers a Hamilton Republican who represents part of Butler County, disavowed the presentation in a statement posted on Wednesday. She said Zieger's words "seek to normalize the dehumanization of our Jewish brothers and sisters, which is unacceptable."

"There is a broad spectrum of acceptable discourse in political debate. Still, we – as Republicans and community leader – condemn those who engage in antisemitism under the guise of legitimate political activity. We disavow these words, and they do not speak for us," she said in the statement.

Erin Glynn is the watchdog reporter for Butler, Warren and Clermont counties through the Report For America program. The Enquirer needs local donors to help fund her grant-funded position. If you want to support Glynn's work, you can donate to her Report For America position at this website or email her editor Carl Weiser at cweiser@enquirer.com to find out how you can help fund her work. 

Do you know something she should know? Send her a note at eglynn@enquirer.com and follow her on Twitter at @ee_glynn.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati-area tea party hosts antisemitic speech