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Conspiracy Theorists Blame Jews, Muslims For Notre Dame Fire

As the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris became engulfed in fire on Monday, conspiracy theorists quickly got to work – blaming the blaze on Jews.

French police quickly said they were treating the fire as an accident, possibly linked to the church’s renovation work. But despite – or perhaps because of – that statement, online bigots quickly got to work. Many pointed a finger at the Rothschilds, the banking dynasty of Jewish heritage who have been central to anti-Semitic conspiracies for century. French President Emanuel Macron once worked at a Rothschild-owned bank. Others tried to link the incident to other church fires that had occurred throughout the country in recent weeks.

Other conspiracists blamed Muslims.

Aiden Pink is the deputy news editor for the Forward. You can reach him at [email protected] or on Twitter, @aidenpink

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