An antisemitic political party is a political party founded primarily or largely on the ideology of antisemitism. Historically, many parties have included antisemitic elements in their platforms, but this term is most specifically used to refer to a series of political organizations that made the "Jewish question" a central political issue to mobilize voters, particularly in Europe during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The term "antisemitic parties" () refers to several political parties in the German Empire (1871âÂÂ1918) that established antisemitism as a core element of their party platform. Although they succeeded in winning a number of constituencies, they remained politically insignificant overall. These parties were heavily focused on economic policy and were primarily supported by Protestants in rural regions.
The individual antisemitic parties were successful in various regions and occasionally cooperated within the Reichstag. Following the 1893 German federal election, they formed a parliamentary group consisting of 16 deputies for the first time.
From 1903 to 1918, the Economic Union (Wirtschaftliche Vereinigung) served as a parliamentary group that unified these deputies alongside other independent representatives.
The following are classified as antisemitic parties:
Other parties also held antisemitic positions (such as the German Conservative Party from 1892 onwards) or adopted antisemitic rhetoric after 1918. While additional parties may have had antisemites within their ranks or shared specific views with the antisemitic parties, they are generally not classified as part of this group.
The Jewish German-American political theorist Hannah Arendt (1906âÂÂ1975) wrote regarding these parties:
The Principalists is dominant conservative political faction in Iran, have been characterized by scholars as promoting antisemitic ideologies under the guise of anti-Zionism. While officially distinguishing between Judaism and the "Zionist regime", the faction has frequently utilized classical antisemitic tropes and Holocaust denial as tools of statecraft.
During the presidency of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a prominent figure in the Principalist camp, the Iranian government organized the International Conference to Review the Global Vision of the Holocaust in 2006, which invited numerous international Holocaust deniers. This event was analyzed by historian Meir Litvak as a systematic effort to delegitimize the State of Israel by attacking the historical reality of the Holocaust, thereby blending political anti-Zionism with racial and religious antisemitism.
Furthermore, the Principalist base has been accused of spreading conspiracy theories found in The Protocols of the Elders of Zion through national coalition media and education, defining Jews as a global threat. Ali M. Ansari notes that this rhetoric is not merely a personal stance of individual leaders but represents a broader ideological framework within the Principalists used to mobilize its conservative constituency and maintain ideological purity against more moderate or Reformist rivals.
Japanese fascist or para-fascist parties in the 1930s to early 1940s, including Shakai Taishuto (since 1938), the Great Japan Youth Party, and Tà Âhà Âkai, were influenced by Germany's National Socialism. Their agitation was often mixed with anti-Semitic rhetoric.
The major politicians of the far-right ultraconservative Sanseità  party, founded in 2020, use antisemitic rhetoric, highlighting and condemning the conflict between "Judeo-Christian" and "Japanese" civilizations. That party claims that "Jewish international financial capital" has "effectively controlled Japan and targeted it for centuries".
While the 1988 Hamas charter was widely described as antisemitic, Hamas's 2017 charter removed the antisemitic language and declared Zionists, not Jews, the targets of their struggle. Some sources maintain its condemnation of Zionists is antisemitic.
While some non-Nazi fascist parties did not initially prioritize antisemitism, several adopted it as a core ideological element during the mid-to-late 1930s, often coinciding with closer alignment with Nazi Germany.