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X Acted on Just 12% of Top Antisemitic Conspiracy Posts, Study Finds

A 3D-printed miniature model of Elon Musk and the X logo are seen in this illustration taken Jan. 23, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

A new year-long study released on Monday by the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs (JCPA) reveals the extent to which X has allowed an epidemic of antisemitic invective to infect the platform in the years since billionaire Elon Musk purchased the popular social media site for $44 billion in 2022.

Researchers used OpenAI’s GPT-4o model to analyze English-language posts between February 2024 and January 2025, identifying 679,584 posts containing antisemitic content that collectively received 193 million views.

The report, first reported by CNN, concluded that antisemitic conspiracy theories thrive on the site

“Antisemitic conspiracies are rampant on X. These conspiracies are not new and can be separated into three categories: Jewish control or power conspiracies, Jewish satanic conspiracies, and Holocaust denial. Of the total antisemitic posts, 59 percent were identified as being conspiracy theories,” the report stated. “Despite this being just over half of the posts, they accounted for 73 percent of all likes. There is a clear pattern that posts promoting antisemitic conspiracies seem to be more likely to generate likes and engagement than other forms of antisemitic content.”

Posts relating to allegations of secret Jewish power proliferated and succeeded in engagement metrics. They represented 30 percent of the yearly sample but accounted for 44 percent of total likes and views. “These online conspiracies cannot be taken in isolation,” the report warned. “They are linked to real-world harm. The FBI and extensive other research have warned that antisemitism is a ‘persistent driver’ of violent extremism, with many attackers referencing the tropes in manifestos or online interactions. Alarmingly, polling indicates that teens who heavily use social media are more likely to support the Jewish power conspiracy.”

Enforcement was rare, even against the most visible posts. By identifying the 100 most-viewed posts from each conspiracy category, a set of 300 posts, researchers found that only four had a publicly visible Community Note — just over one percent — including only two of the top 100 Holocaust denial posts. Together, the 296 posts without corrective notes amassed 86 million views.

In total, X only took action on 36 of the 300 posts promoting antisemitic conspiracies, equivalent to 12 percent. Of those, 21 posts had their visibility limited, six were removed, four displayed Community Notes, three were from deleted accounts, and two were from suspended accounts. Even with reduced visibility, the flagged posts drew a combined 2.8 million views.

The study also exposed the role of a small number of influential accounts. “Of all the posts identified as antisemitic, ten individual ‘antisemitism influencers’ account for 32 percent of total likes on posts in our sample. The other 68 percent of likes were from 159,055 users, displaying the disproportionate levels of influence that the top ten antisemitism influencers have,” the report said. Six of these ten purchased verification through X Premium, giving their content boosted reach, and five ran ads or subscriptions that generated revenue. Researchers estimated that X could earn more than $140,000 annually from ad placements near such accounts.

The authors stressed that their numbers likely undercount the true scale of antisemitism on the site due to current technical limitations.

“Our analysis is limited to the text content of posts on X, and therefore cannot identify posts containing antisemitic images, videos, or audio. Another key limitation is that the third-party tool used to study posts does not provide view data for posts without engagement, making the total number of views for posts in our study a low estimate,” the report explained.

CCDH founder and CEO Imran Ahmed and JCPA CEO Amy Spitalnick called for X to change course.

“The old conspiracy theories that simmered in the margins of society now thrive in plain sight, amplified by X’s ineffective content moderation policies. In many cases, the platform not only tolerates this content but allows users to monetize it, giving antisemitic influencers both reach and revenue,” Ahmed and Spitalnick wrote in the study’s introduction. “At a time when polarization, extremism, and violence are rising at home and abroad, the unchecked spread of antisemitism online is a direct threat to public safety … Unless platforms change course, live up to their terms of service, and stop the spread of antisemitism and broader hate and extremism, it will likely, and sadly, lead to further violent incidents targeting our communities and our democracy.”

These findings add to years of research and a catalog of controversies. In July, Musk’s Grok chatbot echoed a longstanding antisemitic trope about Jewish executives in Hollywood, sparking alarm about how training AI on X’s content could replicate extremist biases. In January, a coalition of major Jewish organizations announced they would cease posting on X after Musk’s apparent Nazi-style salute at a Trump rally and Holocaust jokes.

However, these issues manifested earlier. In September 2023, 100 Jewish leaders from across the spectrum urged advertisers and app stores to sever ties with Musk’s platform, citing its embrace of extremist discourse. That same month, Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt challenged Musk for amplifying campaigns against the ADL, while Musk threatened to sue the watchdog group for lost ad revenue, earning the praise of white supremacists.

In August 2023, the Auschwitz Memorial criticized X for refusing to remove a reported antisemitic post, warning that such decisions normalize hate. And in February 2023, the Combat Antisemitism Movement documented a surge of neo-Nazis flocking to the website immediately after Musk’s takeover, seeing him as an ally who would loosen restrictions.

Musk has defended his approach as protecting free expression, saying after reinstating Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes that “it is better to have anti whatever out in the open to be rebutted than grow simmering in the darkness.” He has praised Community Notes as a corrective tool, but the new study concluded that in practice the feature has almost no effect.

Musk’s approach has carried consequences beyond X, with Tesla and his broader business empire enduring the damage.

In April 2025, Tesla reported a 13 percent drop in deliveries — its weakest quarter since 2022 — with The Guardian citing brand damage as a factor. That same month, Tesla chair Robyn Denholm sold $230 million in company stock, more than half in the wake of Musk’s political interventions.

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Argentine Students Caught on Video Chanting ‘Today, We Burn the Jews,’ Sparking National Outrage

Argentina’s President Javier Milei attends a commemoration event ahead of the anniversary of the 1994 bombing attack on the Argentine Israeli Mutual Association (AMIA) community center, marking the 30th anniversary of the attack, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, July 17, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Martin Cassarini

A viral video showing high school students in Argentina chanting “Today, we burn the Jews” has triggered widespread outrage and condemnation from political leaders and the country’s Jewish community.

Earlier this month, a group of students from the Humanos school in Buenos Aires went on a graduation trip organized by the private company Baxtter.

In a video widely circulated on social media, the students — joined by the trip coordinator and one of the students’ fathers — are seen chanting antisemitic slogans while riding a bus.

Shortly after the incident sparked public outrage, the school issued a statement denouncing the students’ conduct and reaffirming its commitment against antisemitism and all forms of hate speech.

“Escuela Humanos strongly condemns the behavior of this group of students during their trip. We also repudiate the conduct of the organizing company and the coordinator in charge,” the statement read. “We clarify that our institution has no connection whatsoever with [the company’s] practices or messages.”

“These chants in no way reflect the values of our school, which are founded on respect, inclusion, and democratic coexistence,” it continued.

The school also said it has been in touch with the Delegation of Argentine Israelite Associations (DAIA), the country’s Jewish umbrella organization, to discuss the incident.

“We hereby renew our commitment against all forms of racism, antisemitism, and hate speech,” the statement added.

The travel company also issued a statement announcing it has dismissed the group coordinator and requested his permanent removal from the Argentinian Society of Travel Coordinators.

“Baxtter expresses its categorical and forceful rejection, making clear that we in no way share or condone the abhorrent remarks made by the group,” the statement read.

Argentine President Javier Milei denounced the incident in a post on X, describing it as “reprehensible.”

The DAIA also condemned the incident, announcing it will pursue a criminal complaint for incitement to persecution or hatred to hold those responsible accountable.

Like many countries worldwide, Argentina has seen a rise in antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment following the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

According to a DAIA report, Argentina saw a 15 percent increase in reported antisemitic incidents last year, with 687 anti-Jewish hate crimes recorded — up from 598 in 2023 — marking a significant surge in antisemitism across the country.

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US House Republicans Demand Antisemitism Documents From Harvard in Ongoing Probe

Demonstrators take part in an “Emergency Rally: Stand With Palestinians Under Siege in Gaza,” amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US, Oct. 14, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Brian Snyder

Harvard University remains under investigation over its handling of campus antisemitism, the US House Committee on Education and the Workforce wrote to school president Alan Garber on Monday, and as such must continue to comply with requests for internal communications regarding discrimination complaints filed by Jewish students.

The committee said it is especially interested in documents related to an October 2023 incident in which two anti-Zionists activists, joined by a mob, assaulted a Jewish graduate student while screaming “Shame!” at him as he struggled to free himself.

“Obtaining the documents will aid the committee in considering whether potential legislative changes, including legislation to specifically address antisemitic discrimination, are needed,” said the letter, authored by the committee’s chairman, Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI), and Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY). “Harvard does not appear to have disciplined — and instead has rewarded — two students who assaulted an Israeli Jewish student who was filming a ‘die-in’ protest on Oct. 18, 2023.”

It continued, “Following the attack, Harvard said that it would ‘address the incident through its student disciplinary procedures’ after law enforcement completed its investigations. However, Harvard is alleged to have obstructed the district attorney’s investigation into the attack.”

Walberg and Stefanik went on to describe the rising fortunes of the attackers, Ibrahim Bharmal, former editor of the prestigious Harvard Law Review, and Elom Tettey-Tamaklo. As previously reported by The Algemeiner, Bharmal was not removed from the presidency of the Harvard Law Review, a coveted post once held by former US President Barack Obama. As of last year, he was awarded a law clerkship with the Public Defender for the District of Columbia, a government-funded agency which provides free legal counsel to “individuals … who are charged with committing serious criminal acts.”

Bharmal has also been awarded a $65,000 fellowship from Harvard Law School to work at the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), an Islamic group whose leaders have defended the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas’s atrocities against Israelis, TheEditors.com reported earlier this year.

Tettey-Tamaklo walked away from Harvard Divinity School with honors. For the Spring 2025 semester, he was voted class marshal by the Class Committee, a role which awarded conferred to him the right to lead the graduation procession through Harvard Yard alongside the institution’s most accomplished scholars and faculty.

After being charged with assault and battery, Bharmal and Tettey-Tamaklo were ordered in April by Boston Municipal Court Judge Stephen McClenon to attend “pre-trial diversion” anger management courses and perform 80 hours of community service each. The decision did not require their apologizing to the Jewish student against whom they allegedly perpetrated what local Assistant District Attorney Ursula Knight described as “hands on assault and battery,” allowing them to avoid a trial and jail time for behavior that was filmed and widely viewed online.

Walberg and Stefanik also demanded confirmation of Harvard’s decision to pause a partnership with Birzeit University in the West Bank. The Harvard-Birzeit partnership was put into abeyance following an internal investigation of Harvard’s François-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights (FXB), the institution directly affiliated with Birzeit. It is not clear what ultimately caused Harvard to discontinue the arrangement, but it is a move for which prominent members of the Harvard community and federal lawmakers have clamored before, as previously reported by The Harvard Crimson.

“The committee is concerned that Harvard has not made its decision, if any, public,” they wrote. “Refusing to partner with a university that explicitly endorses a US-designated terrorist organization is entirely different than the BDS movement, which boycotts the only democracy in the Middle East because it is Jewish.”

The letter comes three weeks after a US federal judge ruled that US President Donald Trump acted unconstitutionally when he confiscated about $2.2 billion in Harvard University’s federal research grants as punishment for the institution’s alleged failing to address antisemitic harassment and discrimination on campus.

In her ruling, US District Judge Allison Burroughs, who was appointed to her position in 2014 by then-President Barack Obama, said that the Trump administration “used antisemitism as a smokescreen for a targeted, ideologically motivated assault on this country’s premier universities.”

Burroughs went on to argue that the federal government violated Harvard’s free speech rights under the US Constitution’s First Amendment and that it was the job of courts to “ensure that important research is not improperly subjected to arbitrary and procedurally infirm grant terminations.”

Burroughs’s ruling restored Harvard’s access to some of the billions of dollars in funds paid for by the American taxpayer, preventing a fiscal crisis which has already caused draconian budget cuts at other institutions facing similar financial penalties imposed by the Trump administration.

The decision also awarded Garber a major political victory, as he has in recent weeks endured growing criticism from faculty and Democratic lawmakers for entertaining a settlement with the Trump administration which would have included concessions to the conservative movement on issues ranging from diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) to viewpoint diversity on campus. Such a deal would risk inciting a mutiny at Harvard, where 94 percent of faculty donated to Democratic candidates in 2024.

The White House has vowed to continue fighting Harvard in court — which may include requesting emergency proceedings at the conservative-leaning US Supreme Court — accusing Burroughs of being compromised by partisanship.

“This activist Obama-appointed judge was always going to rule in Harvard’s favor, regardless of the facts,” Liz Huston, spokesperson for the White House, said in a statement following the ruling. “We will immediately move to appeal this egregious decision, and we are confident we will ultimately prevail in our efforts to hold Harvard accountable.”

In the interim, Harvard University is in no rush to strike a deal with the federal government that would conclude its investigations of antisemitism in exchange for a payment of what Trump stipulated as “nothing less” than $500 million. According to a Monday report by The Harvard Crimson, Penny Pritzker, a Harvard Corporation senior fellow — and sibling of Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) — said in her first public comments on the controversy, “I have absolutely no idea how this is going to play out.” Another official, asked about the status of the talks by a Crimson reporter, flashed “a tight smile before walking away.”

Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.

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Brutal Antisemitic Attacks in France, Germany Highlight Growing Threat to Jewish Communities Across Europe

Anti-Israel protesters march in Germany, March 26, 2025. Photo: Sebastian Willnow/dpa via Reuters Connect

Recent assaults in France and Germany highlight the ongoing threat of antisemitism facing Jewish communities throughout Europe.

On Saturday, a 67-year-old man wearing Orthodox Jewish clothing was physically attacked in Yerres, a suburb south of Paris.

While walking home from the mikveh, a Jewish ritual bath, the victim was brutally assaulted by an unknown man shouting antisemitic slurs, including, “Dirty Jew, I’m going to kill you.”

According to local media reports, the victim, identified as Gilles Cohen, was violently beaten as the assailant attempted to search his pockets for money and synagogue keys.

Grégoire Dulin, the local public prosecutor, confirmed the victim was released from the hospital and “has been given a 15-day total work incapacity order.”

Shortly after the attack, Cohen filed a police complaint, though authorities have yet to make any arrests.

“An investigation is underway on charges of attempted violent robbery resulting in total incapacity to work of more than eight days, committed on religious grounds, and for death threats on religious grounds,” Dulin told AFP.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry condemned the “shocking antisemitic attack,” wishing the victim a “swift and full recovery” while calling on French authorities to ensure justice and the safety of the Jewish community.

“Cohen was brutally assaulted, struck in the face several times, and called a ‘dirty Jew.’ This is an extremely serious act that reflects the alarming rise of antisemitism in France,” the statement read.

Yonathan Arfi, president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF) — the main representative body of French Jews — also condemned the attack, describing it as the latest in a string of antisemitic assaults on rabbis in Orléans, Deauville, Neuilly, and Levallois in recent months.

“How long will this repeated hatred be tolerated?” Arfi wrote in a post on X.

“No one will uproot the Jews from France. But it is high time to uproot the antisemitism that is festering in society, using a conflict [1,800 miles] away as a pretext,” he continued, referring to the war in Gaza.

Since the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, France has seen a sharp rise in anti-Jewish hate crimes and anti-Israel sentiment.

In an increasingly hostile climate, the local Jewish community has faced both violent assaults and attacks on schools and synagogues.

According to France’s Interior Ministry, more than 640 antisemitic incidents were recorded in the first six months of 2025 — a 27.5 prcent decrease from the same period in 2024 but a 112.5 percent increase compared with the first half of 2023.

In a separate incident in Germany, a 24-year-old Jewish man was brutally assaulted in the central city of Erfurt when another man saw he was wearing a Star of David necklace.

On Friday, the victim was physically attacked on a tram after an unknown individual spotted his necklace, attempting to drag him off, kicking him repeatedly, and threatening him before fleeing the scene.

Local police have launched an investigation and are reviewing tram footage, but no suspects have been arrested yet.

A police spokesperson told German newspaper Bild that the incident is being treated as a “politically motivated crime.”

Like several other countries, particularly in Europe, Germany has also seen a surge in antisemitic attacks targeting the local Jewish community.

According to a police report, 1,047 antisemitic crimes were recorded nationwide between January and March this year, including 27 violent assaults and 422 cases of incitement to hatred.

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