By EMILY BURACK<\/p>\n
(JTA) \u2014 Taylor Swift is drawing criticism \u2014 and apparent applause among her neo-Nazi fan base \u2014 for calling out \u201cthe Soros family\u201d in an Instagram post. It\u2019s the latest salvo in the pop superstar\u2019s ongoing battle with her former record label.<\/p>\n
The family long has been at the center of anti-Semitic conspiracy theories about Jewish domination of global banking. George Soros, a Hungarian billionaire and liberal philanthropist, typically is the main target. But his son Alex, the deputy chair of his father\u2019s Open Society Foundations, an international group that promotes liberal causes, has begun to feature in them as well.<\/p>\n
According to Swift, Alex Soros also is playing a role in the hugely popular singer\u2019s nasty and public fight with her former label, Big Machine Records.<\/p>\n
Swift recorded her first six albums with Big Machine, but she left the label before the release of her seventh, titled \u201cLover.\u201d In June, the label sold the original records of her songs, known as masters, to talent manager Scooter Braun. Swift believes she should have been given the opportunity to purchase her own masters, and has been pressing the case in interviews.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter I was denied the chance to purchase my music outright, my entire catalog was sold to Scooter Braun\u2019s Ithaca Holdings in a deal that I\u2019m told was funded by the Soros family, 23 Capital and that Carlyle Group,\u201d Swift said in December.<\/p>\n
Swift doubled down Thursday night on Instagram after she found out that Big Machine was planning to put out an album of her live performances. She believes they want to make more money off her during the coronavirus crisis.<\/p>\n
Calling out the Soros family; Braun, the Jewish industry giant associated with the likes of Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande; and the private equity firms involved in the sale, Swift wrote that the decision to release the new album is \u201cjust another case of shameless greed in the time of Coronavirus. So tasteless, but very transparent.\u201d<\/p>\n
To many people who viewed Swift\u2019s post, Swift was invoking language that many have used to signal anti-Semitic sentiments.<\/p>\n
\u201cTaylor Swift deploying a Soros dogwhistle is \u2026\u2026 a choice,\u201d Tara Mulholland, a CNN producer, tweeted.<\/p>\n
\nTaylor Swift deploying a Soros dogwhistle is…… a choice https:\/\/t.co\/q8yRZ2CjAH<\/a><\/p>\n
— Tara Mulholland (@tara_mulholland) April 24, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n