German Media Chief Declares ‘We Shall All Be Zionists’ At WJC Gathering

Mathias Döpfner, the CEO of Axel Springer, declared Monday that he was “a goy” and “a Zionist,” warning Jewish leaders in Geneva that antisemitism, anti-Zionism, and online radicalization are spreading across Western society after the October 7 Hamas massacre.

Döpfner, whose German media company Axel Springer owns major outlets including Politico and Business Insider and has long maintained public pro-Israel corporate principles, delivered the remarks at a World Jewish Congress Governing Board gathering marking 90 years since the organization was founded in Geneva in 1936. 

“What does not make sense to me is this: Why should Zionism be an idea and a goal that only Jews can embrace?” Döpfner said. “I am a goy. And I am a Zionist.”

Döpfner said the reaction across parts of the Western world after October 7 convinced him that antisemitism had entered a new stage, spreading through universities, cultural institutions, social media platforms, and public discourse.

“Right after the images of the victims were seen, the downplaying began. Right after the names of the murdered were known, the justifications began,” he said.

He sharply criticized the repeated use of the phrase “Never Again,” saying it had become detached from action.

“I never want to give or hear another ‘Never Again’ speech,” Döpfner said. “‘Never Again’ has become lip service.”

He called the phrase “a moral declaration of intent without consequences,” arguing that many Western societies failed to uphold the lessons they publicly claim to support after the Hamas attack on Israel.

Döpfner devoted much of his speech to defending Zionism and Israel’s existence, describing Israel as “a bridgehead of Western values in the Middle East” and “the logical consequence of history.”

“A people’s right to live in safety. The right to defend oneself. The right not to be dependent on the mercy of others again,” he said.

He argued that support for Israel should not be limited to Jews alone and said attacks on Zionism increasingly target the legitimacy of Jewish self-determination itself.

“It is not Zionism that is racism. Rather, anti-Zionism is racism,” Döpfner said.

Axel Springer has long maintained public pro-Israel principles, including support for Israel’s right to exist. After October 7, the company drew attention for displaying Israeli flags at its Berlin headquarters and defending pro-Israel editorial positions during internal disputes with some employees.

Döpfner also warned that social media platforms, particularly TikTok, were accelerating political extremism and antisemitic radicalization among younger generations.

“TikTok, in particular, is today one of the most dangerous propaganda machines for amplifying extremist content,” he said, describing it as “by far the most influential information medium for young people.”

WJC President Ronald S. Lauder praised Döpfner during the gathering as “a righteous gentile” and one of the few major media executives willing to publicly defend Israel. “When journalism distorts the news about Israel every day, Mathias holds fast,” Lauder said.

Lauder also warned that antisemitism rarely remains isolated to attacks on Jews alone. “What starts with the Jews never ends with the Jews,” he said.

Döpfner ended his speech by arguing that fighting antisemitism was primarily the responsibility of non-Jews and a test of whether Western societies could preserve their own democratic values.

“If the West, that is, the free world, does not defeat antisemitism, it will destroy itself,” he said.

He closed with a final call for solidarity with Israel and the Jewish people. “We all shall be Zionists,” Döpfner said.