German media company Axel Springer SE has just agreed to buy Telegraph Media Group Limited. And judging by its shilling for Israeli war criminals, the Telegraph seems likely to remain just as vile as ever.

8 things you need to know about Axel Springer

Axel Springer:

1. Has a long record as “a bastion of conservatism“, with its founder insisting “It is the task of our generation to stand firmly by Israel’s side, even if this causes difficulties for our policies elsewhere… The country does not need encouragement, but advocacy, wherever and whenever it can be provided”.
2. Is “Europe’s largest publisher” and owns “Germany’s biggest newspaper”, Bild.
3. “Has long been a staunch supporter of Israel” and opponent of Palestinian freedom, even making its European employees sign a commitment to “the trans-Atlantic alliance and Israel”. It considers “Israel’s right to exist” to be something “non-negotiable“.
4. Has functioned as a “direct pipeline for Israeli talking points“, enabling Israel’s assassination of journalists by publishing propaganda about them.
5. Owns Aviv Group GmbH, which has an Israeli real estate website offering sale or rental of properties in occupied Palestinian and Syrian territories. A job ads portal, meanwhile, advertises posts for ‘security’ at “checkpoints and settlements in the occupied West Bank”.
6. “Runs a journalism academy that requires its trainees to visit Israel during their training”.
7. Acknowledged pro-Israel propagandist Dovid Efune “for his essential support and assistance” in the acquisition of the Telegraph.
8. Reportedly told employees at news app Upday “to prioritize pro-Israel sentiment in their news curation and limit news about Palestinian deaths” at the start of Israel’s genocide in Gaza (which Axel Springer denies).

What you need to know about Axel Springer’s CEO

Axel Springer CEO Mathias Döpfner, meanwhile, is a gaslighting pro-Israel extremist who:

• Is not Jewish.
• Concluded a “summary of his political beliefs” with the phrase “Zionismus über alles” (Zionism above all).
• Essentially argued against recognition of a Palestinian state and holding some Israeli criminals to account, saying “Europe Failed Israel” when it finally took steps towards the above.
• Insisted that the world should ‘celebrate’ the settler-colonial apartheid regime in Israel illegally attacking Iran in 2025. Two years into Israel committing what experts overwhelmingly called genocide, he praised its “intelligence and precision” in its battle of ‘good against evil’.
• Suggested “massive, unstinting” support for Israel’s war criminal leaders (“despite the risks“) was essential for protecting the US, Europe, and democracy itself. Holding Israel to account, on the other hand, would ‘weaken the West’ and its “foothold” in the region.
• Sat down for a cosy chat with war criminal Henry Kissinger.
• Has apparently avoided referring to Israel’s mass murder and destruction in Gaza as genocide, but called 7 October 2023 “part of a genocidal campaign“.
• Got “the Israeli Presidential Medal of Honor” from genocide-inciting president Isaac Herzog for his service to the cause. He also got multiple other “honours from Israeli institutions, and the company has hosted numerous Israeli political and military figures”.

A neat fit for the Telegraph

The Telegraph has long shown itself to be a fervently right-wing, racist, pro-Israel, and anti-Muslim propaganda outlet. So it’s absolutely no surprise that Zionist extremists would be falling over themselves to take control of such an asset. And as all of the above information shows, Axel Springer’s takeover may well make things even worse.

Featured image via the Canary

By Ed Sykes

From Canary via This RSS Feed.