South Africa is first country to ban antisemitic conspiracy film saying Jews now aren't 'real Jews'

South Africa has become the first country to issue a nationwide ban on screening and distribution of an antisemitic film that claims Black people are the "real Jews."

Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America is a 2018 film that puts forward the theory that Black Hebrew Israelites are the true descendants of biblical Israelites, and that today’s Jews are not the real Jews. The film also claims there is an international Jewish conspiracy that aims to defraud Black people.

It was screened in June 2023 at the Soweto Theatre in South Africa, and the film was reported to the ombudsman by the local Jewish community.

South Africa's FPB found it 'fundamentally fails' to meet criteria for a documentary

On Monday, South Africa’s Film and Publication Board (FPB) announced its decision to refuse to classify the movie for broadcasting and distribution. The ban does not apply to the book of the same name, from which the film is derived.

FPB found the film to “advocate hatred based on an identifiable group characteristic and constitutes incitement to cause harm based on Holocaust denial, dehumanization, and the promotion of antisemitic views and prejudicial language.”

“Acknowledging that a bona fide documentary must adhere to historical accuracy, by denying the Holocaust, the film fundamentally fails this criterion,” the FPB said in its statement.

The board warned that any person who knowingly broadcasts, distributes, or exhibits the film in public, offers it for sale or hire, or advertises it for exhibition, sale, or hire, will be guilty of an offense. This could be a fine not exceeding R500,000, imprisonment for a period not exceeding five years, or both a fine and imprisonment.

The FPB said the film was found to constitute incitement to cause harm on the basis of Holocaust denial – due to its assertion that the Holocaust is a “falsehood” – and on the basis of dehumanization of Jews and antisemitic views such as referring to Jews as “parasites among the nations.”

Jewish Board of Deputies sees the ban as a positive step

FPB’s first made the decision to not classify the film in December 2025, following a complaint by the South African Jewish Board of Deputies, but the decision was only formally gazetted in October 2026, hence the reporting today.

Reacting to this week, SAJBD said it is “encouraged” by the strong message sent by the FBP that “the right to freedom of expression does not amount to a license to defame and propagate hatred against an entire group of people.”

“This ruling safeguards the fundamental rights of all citizens of this country,” it said.

Despite extensive criticism of the film’s contents, South Africa is the only country to officially ban or limit its sale or distribution.

It is still available for purchase in the United States and United Kingdom, as well as on Amazon internationally. Some specific sellers have removed it from their catalogue, such as Barnes and Noble.

The film gained notoriety in October 2022 when professional basketball NBA player Kyrie Irving shared a link to the film on X/Twitter.

While Irving deleted the tweet three days later, he initially told reporters he was “not going to stand down.” Irving has since apologized.