Over the past 3.5 years, the Decoding Antisemitism research project has been analysing the content, structure, and frequency of antisemitism on the internet. 

Over this time, there has been no shortage of flashpoints which have generated antisemitic responses. Yet the online response to the Hamas attacks of 7 October and the subsequent Israeli operations in Gaza surpassed anything the project has witnessed before. In no preceding escalation phase of the Arab-Israeli conflict has the predominant antisemitic reaction been one of open jubilation and joy over the deaths of Israeli Jews. As demonstrated in the project’s sixth and final Discourse Report, published today, this explicit approval of the Hamas attacks was the primary response from web users. These responses represent a turning point in antisemitic online discourse, and its repercussions will be felt long into the future.

The report contains analysis of the various stages of online reactions to events in the Middle East, from the immediate aftermath to the Israeli retaliations and subsequent accusations of genocide against Israel. As well as examining online reactions in the project’s core focus—the United Kingdom, France, and Germany—this report also, for the first time, extends its view to analyse Israel-related web discourses in six further countries, including those in Southern and Eastern Europe as well as in North Africa. 

Alongside reactions to the escalation phase, the report also examines online responses to billionaire Elon #Musk’s explosive comments about Jewish individuals and institutions.

Additionally, it provides a retrospective overview of the project’s development over the past 3.5 years, tracking its successes and challenges, particularly regarding the conditions for successful interdisciplinary work and the ability of machine learning to capture the versatility and complexity of authentic web communication.

I would like to thank the Alfred Landecker Foundation for fully funding our research project since the summer of 2020. Additionally, a big thank you goes out to our cooperation partners from Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Berlin (HTW) and Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin fuer Sozialforschung (WZB). Your support has been invaluable.

Decoding Antisemitism’s 6th Discourse Report can be downloaded here: https://lnkd.in/grJnKuhN.

Please also take a look at the news section of our website. In the coming days, we will be presenting the new discourse report at various events in Berlin, London, and Paris: https://lnkd.in/gTEQQkzn.