Spielberg: Antisemitism in US ‘standing proud with hands on hips like days of Hitler’
‘I’ve never experienced this in my entire life, especially in this country,’ said Spielberg, while appearing on ‘The Late Show’ on Thursday
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Steven Spielberg has expressed his concerns over the rise of antisemitism in the United States.
The filmmaker appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Thursday night (2 March) to discuss his Oscar-nominated movie The Fabelmans, which was released in January.
In the semi-autobiographical film based on Spielberg’s childhood, one of the characters suffers antisemitic abuse at the hands of a group of school bullies.
Colbert asked Spielberg if found the current rise in antisemitism surprising.
“I find it very, very surprising,” he said. “Antisemitism has always been there, it’s either been just around the corner and slightly out of sight but always lurking, or it has been much more overt like in Germany in the Thirties.
“But not since Germany in the Thirties have I witnessed antisemitism no longer lurking, but standing proud with hands on hips like Hitler and Mussolini, kind of daring us to defy it. I’ve never experienced this in my entire life, especially in this country.”
The Schindler’s List director added: “Somehow, the marginalising of people that aren’t part of some kind of a majority race is something that has been creeping up on us for years and years and years…
“Hate became a kind of membership to a club that has got more members than I ever thought was possible in America. And hate and antisemitism go hand in hand – you can’t separate one from the other.”
According to the US Anti-Defamation League, the country has recently seen a rise in antisemitic incidents, with 2,717 incidents last year – the highest since it began tracking in 1979.
Spielberg said that despite what he has observed, he is optimistic about the future.
“To quote Anne Frank, I think she’s right when she said that most people are good,” he said. “And I think essentially at our core, there is goodness and there is empathy.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments