Zionist Occupation Government conspiracy theory
The Zionist Occupation Government, Zionist Occupational Government, or Zionist-Occupied Government (ZOG), sometimes also called the Jewish Occupational Government (JOG), is a term for the government of the United States used by adherents of an antisemitic conspiracy theory that claims that Jews secretly control the U.S. government. Some later versions apply it to the governments of other countries. ZOG is often directly personified as the Anti-Defamation League due to its conflicts with the neo-Nazi movement. The word Zionist in "Zionist Occupation Government" is used to equate being Jewish with the ideology of Zionism, depicting Zionists as conspiring on behalf of Jews and Israel.
Read the full Wikipedia article ↗
Check the claims
Search independent fact-checkers for this topic:
Action items
- Read the article's evidence and "investigation" or "reception" sections, and open its cited sources.
- Before sharing anything on this topic, run it through the fact-checkers above.
- Notice when a claim blames a whole group for a secret plot. That's a classic sign of hate propaganda.
- Check resources from the ADL, SPLC or national equality bodies.
- Report hateful content on the platform where you saw it.
- If someone you know believes it, ask what evidence would change their mind, and share one good source, not ten.
Prevention steps
- StopNotice a strong emotion (anger, fear, 'they don't want you to know') before you share. Pause first.
- Investigate the sourceWho is making the claim, what's their expertise, and what do they gain if you believe it?
- Find better coverageRead laterally: open new tabs and see what independent outlets and fact-checkers say.
- Trace claims to the originFind the original study, video or document. Check dates and whether quotes are cut.
- Ask what would change your mindReal theories can be tested. If every piece of counter-evidence 'proves' the cover-up, it can't be.
- Count the peopleBig secret plots need thousands of people to stay silent for years. That rarely happens.
- Talk, don't mockWith friends or family, ask questions, listen, share your own sources calmly. Shame backfires.
- PrebunkLearn the common tricks (cherry-picking, fake experts, false dilemmas) so you spot them early.