‍

‍

Toronto (March 23, 2023) – Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) is calling on Twitter to address findings in a new report that reveals English-language antisemitic content on the platform has doubled since Elon Musk took ownership of the social media company.

A report published this month by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue and CASM Technology demonstrates that numerous forms of Jew-hatred, emanating from across the political spectrum, not only run rampant on Twitter, but are increasing.

According to the report, the number of plausibly antisemitic tweets posted each week stayed stable between June until the week of October 27, when Musk acquired Twitter, with an average of 6,204 tweets. From that week until February, the average number of plausibly antisemitic tweets per week rose to 12,762.

In its 2023 Digital Terrorism + Digital Hate report card released this week, the Simon Wiesenthal Center graded Twitter with a D- over its failure to tackle online hate.

“The statistics revealed in this latest report are extremely concerning, as we know that hateful rhetoric online feeds the growing threats, vandalism and violence we’re seeing in the real world,” said FSWC Director of Allyship and Community Engagement Dan Panneton. “At a time of rising antisemitism, conspiratorial thinking, and political extremism, it is paramount that social media companies like Twitter take such research seriously, and send a message to all communities that the toxic scourge of antisemitic content will not be tolerated.”

In a letter sent to Twitter Canada today, FSWC requested a meeting with Twitter Canada representatives to discuss concerns about how the surge of antisemitic content on Twitter affects the well-being of the Jewish Canadian community, and called on Twitter to issue a statement committing to addressing the pervasive and destructive issue.