The Libertarian Party of Michigan sparked backlash this week after posting an anti-Semitic cartoon on social media depicting Jewish people as puppet masters controlling both the Democratic and Republican parties.

As per the Algemeiner, the inflammatory image gained significant traction on X this week, receiving over 1,000 likes before being removed amid widespread condemnation.

Libertarian Party policies traditionally center on individual liberty and non-interventionism. However, many political pundits argue that the party has been overtaken by extremist elements not representative of mainstream libertarian principles. In fact, this is not the first time the Libertarian Party has faced accusations of promoting antisemitism.

In August 2022, the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire posted an antisemitic tweet referencing the Holocaust that read, “Six million dollar minimum wage, or you’re antisemitic.” 

Shortly thereafter, the National Libertarian Party tweeted out a depiction of Sam Bankman-Fried, the fraudster behind the FTX cryptocurrency exchange collapse. It drew fury from social media users as it played into hateful conspiracy theories linking Jews to financial scandals and nefarious control of banking systems.

Moreover, at the Mises Caucus’ “Peaceful Anarchist Convention” in 2021, the party invited Bryan Sharpe as a featured speaker. An internet personality also known as “Hotep Jesus,” Sharpe has faced extensive accusations of promoting antisemitism and black supremacist ideologies. A Mises Caucus leader dismissed concerns at the time, saying Sharpe was simply asking questions about Jewish influence and did not necessarily hold antisemitic views, according to the report.