Taboo of Criticism

In 1892, one of France’s leading antisemitic agitators, Edouard Drumont, launched a new political newspaper which swiftly became the principal organ for disseminating conspiracy narratives and Jew-hatred. Its name was significant: La Libre Parole (“Free Speech”). The choice of such a title sheds light on a crucial dimension of the antisemitic imaginary, one that is still very prevalent and active in today’s climate. It claims to always be threatened with silencing, since their views are actively being suppressed and tabooed as a consequence of an alleged hegemony of Jewish interests in the public sphere and in particular in media and politics. Within the broader context of the anti-political correctness thrust of contemporary right-wing discourses, the revitalisation of such a legitimation device is hardly surprising. Nevertheless, while it is still a new legitimation tool in other forms of exclusionary ideologies (racist, anti-LGBTQ, anti-feminist), the topos of the taboo of criticism play a key structural role in the ideological architecture of antisemitism.