The dark origins of “Hip Hip Hooray.”
In 1819, as Jews in Germany demanded basic civil rights and emancipation after centuries of exclusion, violent anti-Jewish riots exploded across the country — the Hep-Hep Riots.
Mobs attacked Jews in Würzburg, Frankfurt, Leipzig, Dresden, and beyond. Their battle cry?
“Hep! Hep!”
The slogan spread to Denmark and Poland. Some historians trace it to the medieval Crusader chant Hierosolyma est perdita (“Jerusalem is lost”). Others say it was a German herding call weaponized into Jew-hatred.
German rulers often protected Jews from immediate violence with troops — then cynically used the riots as an excuse to delay emancipation: “The people aren’t ready.”
Here’s the part that should make every sports stadium and New Year’s Eve celebration uncomfortable:
The common English cheer “Hip Hip Hooray!” is widely believed to derive directly from this antisemitic rallying cry.
History has a way of hiding in plain sight.
@CptAllenHistory
