Twitter has a well-documented history of allowing antisemitic posts on its platform. There are numerous examples that have remained on the forum even after they were reported to moderators: from anti-Jewish memes to 9/11 conspiracy theories that blame Jews for the horrific September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
During the 11-day conflict between Israel and Hamas that erupted in May, anti-Jewish sentiment on Twitter was rampant. According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which works to combat antisemitism and extremism, there were 17,000 tweets posted between May 7 and May 14 that used the phrase “Hitler was right” or similar variations thereof.
The proliferation of antisemitism on Twitter can spill over into real life with very real consequences for Jewish people, particularly those who have been physically attacked.
Jews in the United States were targeted during and after the Israel-Hamas conflict, with the ADL registering a 75 percent increase in reports of antisemitism, which includes acts of vandalism, harassment or assault. ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt described the development as a “dangerous and drastic surge in anti-Jewish hate.”
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The rise in reports of antisemitism in the US coincided with an escalation of anti-Jewish activity online. The Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI), which tracks and combats misinformation and hate across social media channels, recorded “massive surges of unmitigated antisemitism on Twitter.” On May 13, the NCRI posted evidence of a huge uptick in hashtags that included terms such as “zionazi” and “killthejews.”
The NCRI described the trend as a “contagion of antisemitic hate” and called on Twitter to take action to remove such content on the grounds that “extremist hashtags and slogans are upstream predicators of real world violence and unrest.”
THREAD: ANTISEMITIC SURGE ON TWITTER
NCRI is warning of massive surges of unmitigated antisemitism on Twitter.
In the evidence below, NCRI finds use of #COVID1948 trending abruptly on Twitter. Comparing Jews to a lethal virus now appears to be going viral. pic.twitter.com/gadSYBW9Xl
— Network Contagion Research Institute (@ncri_io) May 13, 2021
In the United Kingdom, the Community Security Trust (CST), a charity that monitors anti-Jewish racism, reported a record number of antisemitic occurrences during the Israel-Hamas conflict. Dave Rich, the CST’s Director of Policy, told HonestReporting that, “May was the worst month on record for antisemitic incidents – four times what we would normally expect. The overwhelming majority connected to Israel and Gaza,” he said.
Rich emphasized that social media plays a key role in facilitating the spread of antisemitism and therefore urged tech giants to be more proactive in removing all types of related harmful material like terrorist propaganda and COVID-19 conspiracy theories. Calling on social media platforms to ensure the swift removal of such content, Rich added: “Misinformation about Jews and Israel can have real-world harm and should be acted upon.”
It is difficult to establish a definitive link between the consumption of antisemitic material on Twitter and acts of Jew hatred. However, the meteoric rise in both suggests there is a correlation that cannot be ignored.
[sc name=”graybox” ][/sc] Related Reading: HonestReporting Prompts BBC Investigation of ‘Hitler Was Right’ Journalist
Despite Twitter’s ostensible commitment to crack down on antisemitism and hate speech, it seems that not enough is being done. For example, former US Green Party Presidential Candidate Cynthia McKinney was widely criticized for posting a meme on June 28 that states “Zionists did it” alongside a picture of the former Twin Towers in New York City.
Twitter’s response was one that defies belief.
After briefly describing the tweet as an example of “strong political commentary,” the platform removed the post after an outcry from across the political spectrum. However, the offensive tweet reappeared just hours later and was still on Twitter as of the publication of this article.
Holly Huffnagle, the American Jewish Committee’s US Director of Combating Antisemitism, warned of the real-life consequences of such tweets: “Jews are made less safe every second Twitter allows antisemitism to persist on its platform. In the very least, the tweet should be labeled with a warning, such as ‘you are about to see conspiracy/disinformation’.”
It is clear is that a ubiquitous social media giant like Twitter has a duty to clamp down on the spread of antisemitic hatred.
What happens online does not always stay online.
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