Jewish UK comedian: Want to be an antisemite? I'll show you how

Marlon Solomon, a UK-based Jewish comedian, released a campaign in which he cynically instructs viewers how to be antisemites.

By RACHEL WOLF
Demonstrators take part in an antisemitism protest outside the Labour Party headquarters in central London, Britain April 8, 2018 (photo credit: REUTERS/SIMON DAWSON)
Demonstrators take part in an antisemitism protest outside the Labour Party headquarters in central London, Britain April 8, 2018
(photo credit: REUTERS/SIMON DAWSON)
"Anti-Jewish racism is on the rise in Britain. You don't want to be an antisemite, but if you did, these videos, one a week from today, will teach you all you need to know," UK comedian and anti-antisemitism activist Marlon Solomon tweeted with an attached video of himself giving cynical instructions to want-to-be antisemites.
Solomon told The Jerusalem Post that four videos have been made and there will be more next year. 

The video, entitled "So, you're thinking of becoming an antisemite?," opens with Solomon introducing himself to viewers as their "Jewish guide" on their "anti-Jewish journey."
"Antisemitism is complicated," Solomon explains, "It's not just saying that Jews are sub-human. No my friends, it's saying that Jews are sub-human AND they run the world."
Solomon then goes the antisemtitic rhetoric associated with the word "Rothschild," the last name of a wealthy Jewish family that is now used as a demeaning term for Jews. He touches on conspiracy theories that are often presented online as fact.
He concludes the video by saying that to be an antisemite, "you have to believe so many ridiculous things. And if it wasn't bad enough, it puts your views in line with ACTUAL HITLER, which, last I checked, is generally a pretty bad thing. Unless you're trying to be an antisemite. Which you are. So that's great."
“The response has been mostly positive across the political spectrum. Although I must remember to turn Youtube comments off!,” Solomon told the Post.
Solomon is no stranger to antisemitism. He not only blogs on the subject, but his one man show Conspiracy Theory: A Lizard’s Tale won  Best Spoken word at the Greater Manchester Fringe. Solomon preformed the show at University of York last January to mark Holocaust Memorial Day.
“I first started encountering antisemitism on a regular basis in 2016 and didn't really understand it. To oppose antisemitism you have to understand it 100% yourself. So I set about doing that and made a one-person show about that journey,” Solomon told the Post.
“The show is called 'Conspiracy Theory: A Lizard's Tale' and the antisemitism explainer videos are an extension of that.  A big problem with antisemitism in Britain is that many people don't understand what it actually is so these projects are an attempt to address that with some humor thrown in.”
Solomon is no stranger to antisemitism. He not only blogs on the subject, but his one man show Conspiracy Theory: A Lizard’s Tale won  Best Spoken word at the Greater Manchester Fringe. Solomon preformed the show at University of York last January to mark Holocaust Memorial Day.
On November 17, 2019, Solomon experienced antisemitism first-hand. He tweeted a video of himself being attacked in a kebab shop in Manchester.
According to Solomon's account, two men came into the shop and asked him "are you a f**king Jew?" and then told him that Jews are "the worst of the lot."
Solomon told the Jewish Chronicle that he, “was not British and that Jews should be wiped out."
“They were shouting about Holocaust denial and saying they had proof on their phones that it didn’t happen,” he continued in his interview with the Chronicle.
In response to the men Solomon says that England is "the best country to live in as a Jew." He then told them, "This country is better than you. You're a disgrace to this country."
“The political climate right now is so grim, but people like that have had antisemitism engrained in them. When I reported it to the police they were very shocked,” he told the Chronicle.
Along with the video of the attack, Solomon tweeted, "wasn't going to post it because I'd obvs had a few & had embarrassingly lost it by this point but while these people exist, I am proud to be British & Jewish, this country IS better than them and stand up to fascists. Always."
When asked about UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s upcoming anti-BDS law, Solomon told the Post that he was less than optimistic.
“I don't think anti-BDS laws are helpful, particularly in universities, it hasn't worked in America. There clearly needs to be something done about the victimization of Jewish students on campus in relation to anti-Israel activity but banning people doing something like that only seems to ratchet up the tension even more.”


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