Conspiracies claiming billionaire George Soros funds Antifa are a perfect storm of right-wing boogeymen

This appeared in The Millennial Source

Few figures inspire greater antagonism and conspiracy-mongering than Hungarian-American billionaire George Soros. Among many on the right of the political spectrum, Soros is the ultimate boogeyman, a billionaire who uses his seemingly unlimited funds to promote a liberal agenda.

Baseless conspiracy theories have followed the man for decades, including the false claim that he is a Nazi, despite being Jewish. At the moment, a popular belief among some right-wing conspiracy theorists is that Soros is funding the Anti-Fascist movement, more commonly known as Antifa.

Like Soros, Antifa has become shorthand for all manner of liberal and leftist misdeeds, with the loose association of unaffiliated activists often blamed for crimes they did not commit. Claiming that Soros funds Antifa ties two of the Right’s biggest boogeymen into one neat bow.

Is George Soros funding Antifa?

As the nonprofit fact-checking site PolitiFact explains, recent viral social media posts have asserted that Soros has been financially supporting Antifa. One such meme includes an image of Soros and states he is a “sociopathic globalist” who “destroy[s] economies, cultures & countries.” Below that, in bold lettering, it adds, “I am funding Antifa.”