Why Conspiracy Theories About Israel Controlling the “Invasion” of Moroccans Into Spain Are Antisemitic

Here’s our full explainer on why those conspiracies are an extension of the antisemitic Great Replacement conspiracy theory, and how dangerous it is that this conspiracy theory is now gaining traction on the left on top of the mainstream adoption on the right.

The Great Replacement conspiracy theory posits that Jews are orchestrating a plot to replace white populations with non-white immigrants. It should come as no surprise, then, that America’s leading proponents of the conspiracy theory have used the recent images from Ceuta to further inflame fears. Elon Musk posted about it incessantly, referring to it as an “invasion.” JD Vance blamed “globalists” (a common antisemitic trope). Donald Trump said “this will be America” if Democrats win future elections.

All of this alone was overt Great Replacement thinking. But other thinkers took it a step further: they blamed Israel.

At the core of the Great Replacement logic is the idea that there is a hidden hand secretly causing the “invasion.” The hidden hand is almost always a code word for Jews, whether the people saying it are aware of it or not.

This remains true in the case of blaming Israel for the Ceuta situation. The theorizing takes agency away from brown people by claiming they were manipulated by a shadowy cabal for its own gain.

While the rightwing version of the conspiracy theory blaming Israel retains its disdain for brown immigrants, the left’s is different.

Figures like Hasan Piker, Ana Kasparian, and Susan Abulhawa frame their logic as sympathetic to Moroccans: they are just victims of Israel. Unable to think or act for themselves, the Moroccans have been tricked and controlled by Israeli power.

This is just as racist and antisemitic as naked Great Replacement conspiracy theories. This time it is not globalists or Soros; it is Israel. Framing it as anti-imperialist doesn’t make it less racist or demeaning to the subjects.

The end result is also the same: Jews are put in danger. Look at any of the posts made by these influencers and politicians, and you will see just as many people blaming Jews as blaming Israel. It only takes one step down the rabbit hole to go from codewords like “globalist” to Jews, and we have seen that slippery slope time and again with regard to conspiracies about Israel controlling global events.

The Great Replacement conspiracy theory is the cause of the worst political violence targeting Jews in America. Doing a version of it in a different font is just as dangerous.