New York City saw a high number of antisemitic posts, with incidents such as pro-Palestinian protesters burning the Israeli flag and displays of Nazi flags
A shocking report has highlighted a significant increase in online antisemitic posts, particularly since the start of a terror attack by Hamas in Israel on October 7. According to the Antisemitism Cyber Security Monitoring System, between October 7 and October 10, at least 157,000 posts inciting violence against Israel, Zionists, and Jews were documented, representing a 450% increase compared to the four days prior and a 360% increase compared to the same period last month.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) found that on Telegram, there were 347 messages from extremists calling for violence against Jews, Israelis, and Zionists within the first 18 hours following the surprise attack by Hamas, marking a 488% increase from the previous day.
In the United Kingdom, the government’s Community Security Trust reported a surge of over 300% in antisemitic content during the initial four days of the conflict.
FBI Director Chris Wray has cautioned that the threat is ongoing and evolving, with concerns that foreign terrorist organisations may exploit the situation to call for attacks on U.S. soil. He also highlighted threats against both Jewish and Muslim communities and their places of worship, with the FBI taking swift action to address these concerns, even though many threats are deemed not credible.
The Antisemitism Cyber Security Monitoring System classified the majority of antisemitic posts as “New Anti-Semitism,” mainly revolving around anti-Israel sentiment. Classic antisemitism accounted for 16% of the content, with posts denying the Holocaust increasing by 6%.
Notably, New York City saw a high number of antisemitic posts, with incidents such as pro-Palestinian protesters burning the Israeli flag and displays of Nazi flags.
Additionally, the Arab Centre for Social Media Advancement’s online monitoring group, 7amleh, reported 260 instances of hate speech targeting Muslims. Automated analysis also identified 4,305 anti-Muslim posts on Twitter (formerly known as X), where content moderation and policy teams have seen significant changes. These concerning statistics follow the Anti-Defamation League’s earlier findings that antisemitic incidents in the U.S. reached their highest level in 2022, with nearly 3,700 reported cases. The ADL has been tracking antisemitic incidents since 1979, relying on information provided by victims, law enforcement, local media, and community leaders.
Oren Segal, vice president of ADL’s Centre for Extremism, expressed concern about the combination of hatred on the ground and online, which has worsened the situation. Social media platforms have stated their commitment to removing hate speech from their platforms.