A US far-right figure peddling antisemitic conspiracy theories has been ostracised by his army of followers after his Jewish roots were revealed.

Robert Sepehr had amassed more than 580,000 subscribers on YouTube with his racist theories about humanity’s origins and claims about Jews.

But he has now been dubbed the “enemy” by his former fellow travellers after his own family history emerged.

Sepehr’s father, Ben-Hur Sepehr, was a Jewish director who made an award-winning film about the Holocaust.

Robert Sepehr’s publishing company is registered as a Jewish charity for tax purposes, it can also be disclosed.

The revelations have horrified the followers who were drawn by Sepehr’s extremist views.

One of his videos is called The Hidden Hand of the Rothschild Banking Family, which incorporates the Star of David in its title. In it, he claims the dynasty pressured the British government into prolonging the First World War, saying: “They are clearly one of the richest families on Earth, as well as one of the most corrupt.”

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Redemption Through Sin: Global Conspiracy in History, Religion, Politics and Finance by Robert Sepehr

The Californian has also written a book called 1666 Redemption Through Sin: Global Conspiracy in History, Religion, Politics and Finance, in which he says the “Rothschilds controlled mainstream media” and distorted the truth about Adolf Hitler.

He writes: “Hitler has been made out to be the most evil person to have ever lived, by starting needless wars and slaughtering millions of innocent people. What if it isn’t entirely accurate?”

The 2015 book also claims Jewish bankers control “the world’s major corporations, mainstream media, intelligence agencies, think tanks, foundations and federally funded universities responsible for suppressing the truth”.

On Twitter, the 46-year-old has claimed that Jews are “trying to subjugate Europe by flooding it with Africans”, an echo of the notorious “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory, which contends that Jews are coordinating the immigration of Africans and Asians to threaten white Europeans.

In addition to his book sales and YouTube revenue, Sepehr, who is from Encino, Los Angeles, is believed to be earning almost £3,000 a month from hundreds of subscribers on content platform Patreon. His adoring followers described him as “the world’s most dangerous anthropologist”.

Shoring up his credentials on the far-right, he claimed that his grandfather was a high-ranking officer in the SS, which only would have been possible if he could have proved his Aryan ancestry.

Sepehr shared the results of a DNA test on YouTube, claiming he had “zero percent” Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry. He did not say whether he has Mizrahi or Sephardi roots. But in December, rumours began to circulate among his followers that Sepehr was Jewish.

One former follower wrote on an extremist forum: “This guy is not to be trusted. Do not listen to him, do not watch his videos. He is the enemy.” Another said: “This Jew is a disinfo agent,” while a third accused him of “discrediting our movement”.

One follower posted: “The disappointment is palpable. Was it just him wholeheartedly wanting to be and identify as an Aryan? Or was it all just another underhanded deceitful Jewish trick?”

Sepehr aggressively responded to the claims. When a rival called him “Mr Wanna-Be-Jew” on Twitter, he hit back: “Big internet tough guy, say that in person and I’d open-hand slap you across your felon mouth.”

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Internet analytics service Social Blade found that Sepehr’s video views and subscription rate on YouTube fell in the weeks after the revelations surfaced. It can now be confirmed that Sepehr is the son of Jewish film director Ben-Hur Sepehr, who was born in Iran and left after the revolution.

He once told a Jewish magazine that he wanted his films to combat “worldwide misrepresentation of the Jews”. In 2010, Ben-Hur made The Desperate, a movie set in a concentration camp where a Nazi general begs an incarcerated Jewish doctor to treat his dying son.  The Desperate won best short at the Hollywood Film Festival in 2010. Ben-Hur uploaded footage of the event on YouTube, in which Robert can be seen celebrating the film’s award with his father. The end credits of The Desperate also list Robert as an associate producer of the film. Ben-Hur Sepehr died last year.

The JC has also established that Robert Sepehr’s publishing company, Atlantean Gardens, is registered as a Jewish charity for tax reasons.

Robert Sepehr did not respond to multiple requests for comment from the JC.

The JC spoke to a relative who confirmed that Robert was Ben-Hur’s son, adding that Ben-Hur was Jewish, but Robert’s mother is not. The relative said Sepehr was close to his father, and has thrown himself into making YouTube videos since his death.

Asked how Ben-Hur perceived his son’s work, the relative said: “In these times that are hard all over the world — with the pandemic — people are not allowed to say their free opinion. You have to be so careful.”

Harry Shukman investigates the British far-right at: scoutnews.substack.com