Report: Antisemitic conspiracy theories surged 218% on social media after start of Iran war

A report by B'nai B'rith International and Fighting Online Antisemitism indicates a 218% surge in antisemitic conspiracy theories on social media following the start of the Iran war. The study compared 38 days before (January 21 - February 27) and after (February 28 - April 6) the conflict, analyzing thousands of posts for keywords related to Jewish or Israeli influence. Researchers found 988 such posts before the war, increasing to 3,138 afterward.

"Moments of war or geopolitical uncertainty generate spikes in antisemitism... and all the more predictably, a war involving Israel,"

said Alina Bricman of B'nai B'rith. The narratives shifted from fragmented conspiracy theories to explicit claims of "Zionist Occupied Government" (ZOG), alleging Jewish manipulation of governments. Posts mentioning ZOG rose from 485 to 1,977, accounting for 63% of analyzed content after the war. Engagement, including likes and shares, also significantly increased. Bricman noted that public figures and hostile state actors contribute to popularizing these narratives. The report's findings were shared with Meta, TikTok, and X, with TikTok agreeing to a meeting, while Meta's response on existing policies was inconsistent with the report's findings, and X did not provide a substantive response.