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Rudy Reichstadt

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Rudy Reichstadt
-
Born (1981-02-08) 8 February 1981 (age 43)
Nice
OccupationWriter

Rudy Reichstadt (born on 8 February 1981 in Nice) is a French political scientist, writer, and journalist who focuses on conspiracy theories. He is best known for founding the website Conspiracy Watch in 2007.

Biography

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Education and Early Career

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Reichstadt was born in Nice to a Catholic father of German origin and a mother of Jewish origin who was repatriated from Algeria. He graduated from the Institut d'études politiques in Aix-en-Provence. Reichstadt held a position as the head of financial affairs at the Paris City Hall's Youth and Sports Department.[1][2]

Conspiracy Watch

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The idea for Conspiracy Watch came to him in 2005, after reading works by Pierre-André Taguieff and Antoine Vitkine. At the time, conspiracy theorists were heavily focused on the 9/11 attacks. Reichstadt sought to provide scholarly resources on the subject, emphasizing that these theories were part of a long history of political ideas.

He launched Conspiracy Watch in 2007 as a volunteer initiative. The project gained the support of historian Pierre-André Taguieff and intellectual Bernard-Henri Lévy. The website's aim is to expose and denounce conspiracy theories, antisemitism, and Holocaust denial, particularly topics popularized by conspiracy theorists in the 2010s.[3]

In 2014, Reichstadt founded the Observatoire du conspirationnisme, a nonprofit organization. By 2017, he was being funded by the Fondation pour la mémoire de la Shoah, allowing him to leave his city job and focus fully on the project, working with historian Valérie Igounet, an expert on Holocaust denial and the far right.

The project received a €60,000 grant from the Fonds Marianne, initiated by Marlène Schiappa.[4]

Journalism career

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Reichstadt has contributed to several publications, including L’Arche, Rue89, and others. Since 2021, he has co-hosted the Complorama podcast on France Info with Tristan Mendès France. He is also a columnist for Franc-Tireur[5] and K. magazine.[6]

He co-authored a documentary titled Complotisme, les alibis de la terreur, aired on France 3 in 2018. He and his co-author were sued for defamation by Michel Collon, but the case was dismissed on appeal in 2022.[7][8]

Reichstadt frequently comments on current events through the lens of disinformation. Examples include the Epstein murder conspiracy, where he pointed out how both pro- and anti-Trump factions could interpret it as an assassination. He has also commented on conspiracy theories surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, citing studies showing that one in four French people believe the virus was lab-created.[9][10][11][12][13]

He is a member of the Observatoire des radicalités politiques[14] and has contributed to political movements like the Printemps républicain,[15] which opposes Islamism and defends secularism. In 2021, he joined the Bronner Commission, tasked with advising the French government on combating online hate and disinformation.[16]

Political Views

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Reichstadt supported Jean-Pierre Chevènement in the 2002 presidential election and voted for Emmanuel Macron in both 2017 and 2022.[17]

Analyses

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In interviews, Reichstadt has been described as one of France's leading experts on conspiracy theories.[18] He has stated that between 20% and 50% of French citizens have been influenced by conspiracy thinking, which has grown due to instant media transmission and a crisis of trust in authorities. He considers antisemitic, pro-American, and pro-Zionist conspiracies to be central to many theorists' beliefs.

Reichstadt's 2019 book L'Opium des imbéciles argues that conspiracy theories pose a serious threat to rational debate and democracy. He claims that conspiracy theories falsify history, protect dictators, and promote dangerous ideologies, ultimately weakening societal trust and public health.[19]

In 2023, he published Au cœur du complot, which continues to explore the dangers of conspiracy thinking and the threats faced by those who combat it.[20]

In 2024, he criticizes Donald Trump's fake news against Kamala Harris.[21]

Publications

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  • L'Opium des imbéciles (2019)
  • Au cœur du complot (2023)
  • Co-author of Histoire politique de l'antisémitisme en France, to be published in 2024.

References

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  1. ^ Lefilliâtre, Jérôme. "Rudy Reichstadt, il conspue les conspis". Libération (in French). Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  2. ^ "Conspiracy Watch : les théories du complot ne passeront pas par lui" (in French). 11 March 2017. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  3. ^ Bréville, Benoît (1 April 2018). "Rudy Reichstadt, chasseur de " conspis "". Le Monde diplomatique (in French). Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  4. ^ "OBSERVATOIRE DU CONSPIRATIONNISME". annuaire-entreprises.data.gouv.fr. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  5. ^ "Tous les articles de Rudy Reichstadt". www.franc-tireur.fr.
  6. ^ "Rudy Reichstadt, Author at K. Les Juifs, l'Europe, le XXIe siècle". K. Les Juifs, l’Europe, le XXIe siècle. 20 October 2021.
  7. ^ "TV – " Complotisme, les alibis de la terreur "". 23 January 2018 – via Le Monde.
  8. ^ Juive, Tribune (3 June 2022). "Le Documentaire "Complotisme: Les alibis de la terreur" n'a pas diffamé Michel Collon".
  9. ^ à 12h33, Par Nicolas Berrod Le 11 août 2019; À 18h15, Modifié Le 11 Août 2019 (11 August 2019). "Pourquoi le "suicide apparent" d'Epstein génère autant de théories du complot". leparisien.fr.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ "Affaire Epstein : " Sexe, pouvoir, mort : tous les ingrédients du complotisme sont présents "". SudOuest.fr. 12 August 2019.
  11. ^ Berteloot, Tristan. "Pourquoi les électeurs du RN croient que le coronavirus a été inventé en laboratoire". Libération.
  12. ^ Sénat, Public (23 April 2020). "Rudy Reichstadt : " Le complotisme est un révisionnisme en temps réel "". Public Sénat.
  13. ^ "ChatGPT : l'intelligence artificielle au service du complotisme ?". Franceinfo. 24 January 2023.
  14. ^ "Observatoire des radicalités politiques". Fondation Jean-Jaurès.
  15. ^ républicain, Manifeste pour un printemps (20 March 2016). "Face aux attaques contre la République, le Printemps républicain commence aujourd'hui". www.marianne.net.
  16. ^ à 23h09, Par Tom Hollmann avec AFP Le 11 janvier 2022 (11 January 2022). "Désinformation : la commission Bronner dévoile ses propositions pour lutter contre le complotisme et les fake news". leparisien.fr.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  17. ^ "Complot et désinformation : au cœur de la confusion". France Culture. 7 May 2023.
  18. ^ Albertini, Dominique; Bouchet-Petersen, Jonathan. "Rudy Reichstadt: "Une vision du monde de plus en plus paranoïaque"". Libération.
  19. ^ "Interview Crif - Conspirationnisme : trois questions à Rudy Reichstadt, fondateur du site Conspiracy Watch". Crif - Conseil Représentatif des Institutions Juives de France. 14 December 2016.
  20. ^ "" Au cœur du complot " : le combat d'un " déconspirateur " victime de la haine". 4 May 2023 – via Le Monde.
  21. ^ à 10h35, Par Rudy Reichstadt Le 15 septembre 2024 (15 September 2024). "Complotisme et polarisation : les nouveaux piliers du populisme". leparisien.fr.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
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