"Jews Are Evil”: Chinese Influencer’s Holocaust-Style Rant Sparks Global Fury

A Chinese influencer known as Master Ran has ignited widespread condemnation with a video posted on Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, titled “Expose the Jewish Conspiracy; Don’t Let China Become the Next America.”

The video, which claims Jews are “inherently evil” and control global affairs, spreads dangerous antisemitic tropes on a platform with over 700 million monthly users.

In the video, Master Ran alleges that Jews aim to transform China into the “next America” by treating all people as “livestock.” He claims the U.S. - China conflict is a facade, asserting that Jews control Americans through a “self-serving culture.”

Ran further accuses Jews of historically avoiding nationhood to profit from wars, instigating global conflicts, infiltrating economies, and corrupting leadership worldwide. He expresses fear that China cannot resist this supposed “Jewish cultural invasion.”

These claims echo antisemitic narratives like the fabricated “Fugu Plan,” which falsely alleges Jewish collusion with Japan during World War II and has garnered significant traction on Douyin, with some videos receiving 200,000 likes.

China’s Jewish population, estimated at 2,500 and mostly foreign nationals, is negligible in a nation of 1.4 billion, making such rhetoric particularly insidious as it relies on stereotypes rather than reality.

Academic Tuvia Gering, cited in reports, notes that these conspiracies are often “couched in state-sanctioned nationalistic narratives” warning against foreign influence, allowing them to evade China’s strict cyberspace regulations.

A Broader Trend on Douyin

Master Ran’s video is part of a broader pattern of antisemitic content on Chinese social media.

A 2023 China Media Project report found that anti-Jewish conspiracies dominate top search results on Douyin, WeChat, and Bilibili, often blending Western tropes with localized narratives.

For instance, the “Fugu Plan” narrative, propagated by figures like ultranationalist blogger Sima Nan, falsely claims Jews plotted to establish a homeland in Chinese territory, fitting a nationalist narrative of China under foreign threat. Such videos, including one with 7 million views, often question Jewish suffering in the Holocaust.

Douyin’s algorithm, which prioritizes engagement, strengthens and spreads this content, as seen with Master Ran’s video, which aligns with anti-American sentiments common on the platform.

Unlike other controversial content, such as pro-LGBTQ posts, antisemitic narratives often persist, possibly due to their alignment with state-approved nationalism. Rabbi Matt Trusch, who combats stereotypes on Douyin, has noted that antisemitism thrives in the anonymity of social media, with hateful comments outnumbering positive ones on his videos about Jewish culture.

With Douyin’s massive user base and China’s influence on global narratives, such content risks normalizing antisemitism worldwide. Jewish advocacy groups have called for ByteDance to remove the video and for stricter content moderation, but no response has been reported.