Social media antisemitism surges in Germany, France, and Hungary after October 7

The Action and Protection League, which monitors online antisemitism, has released the "shocking results" of its newest report on social media antisemitism in Hungary, Germany and France, in September 2024 as to in September 2023.

The data was intended to show how the October 7 Massacre and subsequent war have impacted online antisemitism in those countries. 

The APL was established to provide a comprehensive antisemitism database, bringing together existing research and antisemitic hate crime reports from Jewish communities across Europe.

Speaking at the annual European Jewish Association's Auschwitz delegation, APL's director Kalman Szalai presented key findings, including that the biggest growth in antisemitic content occurred on X.

The APL used keywords to collect the data and monitor online content. In Germany, 68 key words were applied, in France, 89, and Hungary, 168.

Over 3,000 antisemitic posts in a month 

These words fell under four categories: anti-Judaism, anti-Israel, Holocaust denial, and classical antisemitism.

The APL reviewed a total of 11,500 posts over the two months. 3410 of these were deemed antisemitic.

In Germany, the ADL found 1500 antisemitic posts by 521 users.

In France, 1643 posts were made by 631 users.

In Hungary, there were 217 posts by 127 users.

In both Germany and France, the main type of antisemitism in the posts fell under the anti-Israel category, which also experienced the greatest increase (tripling in both countries in the space of the year).

In Hungary, the levels of anti-Judaism, classical antisemitism and Holocaust denial were similarly high, however anti-Israel posts did triple.

Regarding social media platforms, X had the highest concentrations of antisemitic content in France and Germany, with both being almost four times higher in 2024 than in the same period in 2023.

In Hungary, Facebook was the most antisemitic platform.

Instagram had the lowest occurrence in all three countries.

Szalai told the attendees "'never again' is no longer the future - it is the present."

"We are already past the 'never again', and the 'now' requires action," he added.

Earlier in the conference, EJA chairman Rabbi Menachem Margolin called on European countries to declare a six-month emergency period regarding antisemitism.

“The situation of the Jewish people in Europe today is the worst it has been since Kristallnacht,” he said.