Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov whacked the hornet’s nest of “political correctness” after making the factual point that someone’s ethno-religious identity at birth doesn’t predetermine their views. In particular, he phrased his words in the following way, which predictably prompted furious outrage from Israel:

“[Ukrainian President Zelensky’s] argument is: How can there be Nazism in Ukraine if he is a Jew? I may be mistaken but Adolf Hitler had Jewish blood, too. This means absolutely nothing. The wise Jewish people say that the most ardent anti-Semites are usually Jews. ‘Every family has its black sheep,’ as we say.”

Speculation about Hitler’s secret Jewish roots isn’t anything new. In fact, the History Channel shared a story about a study on this subject in 2010 that even suggested that he might have had African ancestors too. Other comparatively “mainstream” speculation about this is easily available at one’s fingertips if they simply conduct a targeted Google search about it.

Lavrov’s point is factual, valid, and the definition of anti-fascist, which therefore means that it cannot credibly be smeared as “antisemitic” like many are now frenziedly trying to do. That’s because it was none other than Hitler himself who falsely theorized that someone’s ethno-religious identity at birth predetermines their views. This hate speech figures prominently in his “Mein Kampf” manifesto.

Regrettably, fascism has revived at such an unprecedented pace in the US-led West in recent years that it’s now taken for granted that Hitler’s false theories are true to an extent. For instance, US President Biden infamously quipped about African Americans that “you ain’t black” if you’re unsure about whether to vote for him or Trump. He wrongly assumed that their ethnicity predetermined their views.

Another example of this in action concerns Poles. Felix Dzerzhinsky, the godfather of Russia’s modern-day security services, was an ethnic Pole but one who isn’t regarded as “Polish” by most of his contemporary co-ethnic whenever they’re asked about him. The same can be said about those members of the diaspora who don’t speak Polish and/or share their government’s views about Ukraine.

In fact, many supporters of Israel have condemned anti-Zionist Jews as “antisemites” for their public criticisms of that scandalous post-World War II geopolitical project. Ironically enough, just like Hitler postulated, they too believe that someone’s ethno-religious identity at birth predetermines their views so it doesn’t make sense in their minds why a Jew would be anti-Zionist and not support Israel.

With all these examples and countless more in mind, there was nothing wrong about what Lavrov said. Russia’s top diplomat was simply discrediting the literally fascist false narrative that contemporary Ukraine supposedly can’t be fascist just because it has a Jewish president, especially since none other the world’s worst fascist himself – Adolf Hitler – was speculated to have Jewish ancestors.

The truth about Hitler’s ancestors aside, which might never be known with absolute certainty, Lavrov’s point is factual, valid, and anti-fascist. Biden can’t say that African Americans “ain’t black” just because they didn’t vote for him, Poles can’t condemn Dzerzhinsky as “not Polish” just because he built the USSR’s security services, and Israeli supporters can’t smear anti-Zionist Jews as antisemites.

All three of those examples are literally fascist to the core since they extend false credence to Hitler’s infamous but completely discredited theory that someone’s ethno-religious identity at birth predetermines their views. The socio-cultural and political environment in which someone is raised can shape their views, never their genome. It’s fascist hate speech to speculate otherwise.