Antisemitism increased, unprecedentedly, on every Spanish-language social media platform in 2024, most notably on X/Twitter, settling a new ‘base level’ for internet Jew-hatred, the Latin American initiative Web Observatory revealed on Monday.
These findings were published in the organization’s annual “Internet Antisemitism Report” for 2024.
Web Observatory is the joint initiative of the Latin American Jewish Congress (CJL), the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AIMA), and the Delegation of Argentine Jewish Associations (DAIA).
In order to carry out the research, Web Observatory analyzed seven platforms and over 126 million posts, using both AI tools and human reviews.
X saw a threefold increase in antisemitic messages, not just in terms of a nominal rise in the number of messages, but also a percentage increase in relation to total posts, and a significant rise in potential impressions (the number of users reached by a message). This indicates not just an increased quantity of antisemitic posts, but also an escalated proliferation.
A total percentage of 19.64% of Spanish-language X messages were deemed antisemitic, marking an increase of 6.81 percentage points compared to 2023. Spain had the highest level of antisemitic X content, followed by Mexico, Colombia, and Argentina, with Uruguay being the lowest.
On Facebook, 11.52% of posts were deemed to be antisemitic. The majority of Facebook antisemitism related to anti-Zionist discourse (82.11%), followed by religious hatred, Holocaust inversion, and traditional antisemitism. On both X and Facebook, there was also a decrease in positive content relating to Jews.
In total, YouTube antisemitism increased to 6.93%, however, this was lower than the levels seen between 2018 and 2022.
Web Observatory found a discrepancy between the levels of antisemitism in YouTube videos and the comments on the videos, with the level of antisemitism in the comments being significantly higher than the audiovisual content itself.
This was the first time that the research extended to Spanish-language comments. It found that 11.22% of the 2.52 million comments analyzed were antisemitic.
Some of the common antisemitic comments revolved around either claims of a Gaza genocide being perpetrated by ‘the Jews’ or comparisons between Zionism and Nazism.
Across all digital portal platforms, antisemitism accounted for 16.86% of all posts.
Uruguay had the highest level of antisemitism on digital news platforms for the fourth consecutive year. Web Observatory found that a third of the comments on the Montevideo Portal site were antisemitic in nature.
Other digital media outlets that stood out were Bio Bio (Chile), Subrayado (Uruguay), Metropoles (Brazil), and El Tiempo (Colombia).
Google’s search engine reported an increase in antisemitism of nearly two percentage points, reaching 17.08%. Web Observatory also noted that searches on the topic of the Holocaust looked to find a correlation between it and the State of Israel’s policies.
In terms of trends, the report also noted that one of the particular developments since the start of the Israel-Hamas War is the use of the term ‘Zionist’ as a substitute for Jew. The use of the substitute word allows users to somewhat circumvent content moderation. The purchase of X by Elon Musk in 2022 was seen to have resulted in a decrease in content moderation.
Web Observatory found that certain major events had a significant impact on online antisemitism as well. The events found to have the greatest impact on Spanish-language antisemitic content were the Amsterdam Maccabi Tel Aviv attack, the anniversary of the October 7 massacre, the Iranian attacks, and the IDF’s invasion of Rafah.
Of all of these, the Iranian attacks had the largest impact on antisemitic content, with the April 14 attack leading to three million pieces of antisemitic content, and the October 1 attacks leading to two million pieces.
Trends in antisemitism
The report underscored the relevance of understanding algorithmic echo chambers, whereby users enter a state of information isolation because they are less exposed to perspectives that they do not interact with.
It added that those who promote agendas or post antisemitic content will suffer from confirmation bias as a result of the algorithm promoting content that reaffirms their position.
Web Observatory’s Ariel Seidler and Ariel Grossman urged legislative powers to update anti-discrimination laws and create tools to combat hate speech.
The website stressed that regulations must be updated to take into account the nature of digital environments.
Miguel Ángel Moratinos, the UN’s under secretary-general and high representative for the Alliance of Civilizations, said, “antisemitism is a global scourge that must be addressed.”
He called racial discrimination an “affront to the fundamental values enshrined in the United Nations Charter.”
Moratinos added that he hoped the report would foster partnerships aimed at eradicating antisemitism “root and branch.”
According to Dr. Raheli Baratz, the head of the Combating Antisemitism & Enhancing Resilience Department at WZO, “2024 will be remembered as an unusual year in the history of the Jewish people due to the magnitude of antisemitic events documented around the world.”
“Growing antisemitism represents a real threat not just to Jewish communities but to the very foundations of democratic society as a whole,” she said.
Baratz said that there was an “inextricable” relationship between the Israel-Hamas War and the rise in global antisemitism.
She added, “What starts with criticism of Israeli policies quickly descends into accusations against Jews,” that find news methods of proliferation “in the digital age.”
Seidler called for greater accountability on the part of the platforms, adding: “The state must take a more visible role, ultimately being responsible for ensuring that antisemitism does not occur.”
