Executive Summary: Post-Outbreak Antisemitic Escalation
Overview
One week following the commencement of Operation “Epic Fury” / “Roaring Lion,” digital monitoring indicates an unprecedented surge in overt, classical antisemitism across major social media platforms. The discourse has rapidly shifted from geopolitical critique of U.S. involvement to a coordinated campaign of modern blood libel and conspiracy-driven delegitimization. The data reflects a sharp, qualitative shift in the digital landscape. We are no longer observing standard political dissent; rather, the conflict is being used as a catalyst for a dangerous escalation in antisemitic conspiracy theories that threaten social cohesion and security.
This report is based on extensive monitoring conducted between February 28, 2026 and March 10, 2026. During this timeframe, a total of 1,400 antisemitic content were monitored, reported and analyzed across multiple platforms by FOA’s international trained volunteers. FOA escalated the reporting content directly to social media platforms, via its unique chancelles, and achieved 62% removal rate on Tiktok, followed by Facebook at 31%, Instagram at 29%, and X with the lowest enforcement rate of 18.5%.
Key Findings
- Mainstreaming of the “ZOG” Trope: There is a significant proliferation of the “Zionist Occupied Government” (ZOG) conspiracy theory. Mega-influencers are increasingly normalizing the narrative that U.S. sovereignty has been compromised by Israeli/Jewish interests, moving this far-right trope into the mainstream.
- The “Trickle-Down” Effect of Hate: Our analysis identifies a direct correlation between high-profile media figures and mass-scale radicalization. “Dog-whistles” and “just asking questions” (JAQ-ing) by prominent influencers are being instantly metabolized by online audiences into explicit, unadulterated antisemitism.
- Resurgence of Modern Blood Libels: Under the veneer of anti-war sentiment, there is a severe resurgence of archaic tropes. This includes accusing “Zionists” and “Jews” of pedophilia and religious fanaticism, specifically alleging a coordinated effort to trigger a “global Armageddon.”
- Holocaust Inversion & Demonization: The military operation is being systematically framed as a “Jewish-led genocide.” By employing Holocaust inversion—comparing Israeli and American leadership to the Nazi regime—the campaign seeks to weaponize historical trauma to demonize the Jewish people globally.
The Role of Social Media Platforms in the Spread of Antisemitic Conspiracies
The report emphasizes how major social media platforms currently play a double role in the proliferation of antisemitic narratives, often failing to enforce their own community and safety standards. While platforms generally have policies against explicit incitement to violence, the report criticizes them for a reactive approach that allows modern “blood libels” to remain active. These harmful conspiracies are frequently misclassified by moderators as protected political speech or legitimate anti-war sentiment, which prevents their removal. Furthermore, the report highlights a systemic failure in algorithmic moderation; recommendation engines continue to amplify “mega-influencers” who use “just asking questions” rhetoric to sanitize and mainstream these conspiracies to vast, global audiences.
The distribution of this content spans across all major platforms, though their roles vary. X (formerly Twitter) serves as the primary hub for unfiltered and overt antisemitic discourse. Meanwhile, TikTok and Instagram are instrumental in “mainstreaming” these ideas through viral influencer clips, making them accessible to the broader public. Even on Facebook and Threads, the report identified active instances of explicit antisemitism, Holocaust inversion, and historical blame.
Global Proliferation and Evasion Tactics
By comparing the week prior to the conflict with the ongoing period of war, we can observe not only a massive increase in volume but a fundamental change in the nature of the hate being spread. This evolution is characterized by a resurgence of traditional tropes adapted for the digital age, where conspiratorial narratives and direct calls for violence have become the primary tools of mobilization.
The data demonstrates a sharp, unprecedented explosion of classic antisemitic conspiracy theories since the beginning of the war. By comparing the week prior to the conflict (left) with the period since the war began (right), we see that while “Classic / Conspiracy Antisemitism” already represented a significant portion of monitored content at 59.8%, it has surged to a dominant 62.5% of all reported posts. Most notably, “Incitement to Violence” has doubled in prevalence, jumping from 5.7% to 11.4%, indicating a more aggressive and dangerous shift in online discourse.
A thematic breakdown of reported antisemitic posts by category. By comparing the week prior to the conflict (left) with the period since the war began (right), the data demonstrates a sharp, unprecedented explosion of classic antisemitic conspiracy theories.
The “Shadow Government” Trope: Israel Dictates U.S. Policy
The most prominent motif is the erasure of American independence, framing the U.S. as a client state of Israel (echoing the classic ZOG – Zionist Occupation Government trope) that sacrifices American troops for foreign interests. The notion of Jewish control has triggered a resurgence of older, darker conspiracy theories.
A video released by Tucker Carlson that went viral on TikTok (see screenshot below), arguing unequivocally that the United States didn’t make the decision to go to war in Iran: “NETANYAHU DID.“ The video promotes the dangerous conspiracy theory that the U.S. government only agreed to the current war out of fear of Israeli retaliation.He also notes that the last president to resist Israeli demands was John F. Kennedy, who demanded Israel to be upfront about its nuclear program, but was assassinated before he could make good on his demand. This video reinforces the antisemitic “shadow government” trope, suggesting that American policy is dictated not by its own sovereign interests, but by the threat of violence and control from Israel.
While this post does not violate community guidelines and therefore remains online, it spawns hate, it garnered tens of thousands of likes, and comments such as “So Israel killed John f Kennedy?” and “Israel Controls USA and that’s the reality.”
- Platform: TikTok
- Status: Active
This messaging immediately permeated the general public. In viral Instagram comments, the U.S. is now casually referred to as “The United States of Israel.”
The famous Uncle Sam recruitment poster is repurposed with the “Happy Merchant” (a notoriously grotesque antisemitic caricature) alongside the text, “I WANT YOU TO DIE FOR ISRAEL.” The poster was shared with the mocking caption, “Refusing to die for ‘Israel’ is anti-Semitic!”
- Platform: X
- Status: Active
A Facebook post featuring a photo of Israelis in a bomb shelter with the text: “Hey Americans, when you mourn your soldiers in this new US-Israel vs. Iran war, remember that Israelis were in bunkers cheering for this war. Your soldiers died for Israel, again.”
This post attempts to drive a wedge between the American public and its government by suggesting that American lives are being sacrificed for the benefit of “cheering” Israelis, thereby reinforcing the narrative that U.S. policy is dictated by Israeli interests rather than its own national security.
- Platform: Facebook
- Status: Active
Religious War and the “Third Temple”
Alongside claims that the Jews/Israel control US government decisionmaking, an additional antisemitic conspiracy theory frames the war as a pre-planned, apocalyptic religious conspiracy.
Tucker Carlson fueled this by tweeting to his millions of followers: “Could this be a religious war designed to rebuild the Third Temple on the ashes of Al Aqsa? Hope not.” This frames Jews as dangerous religious fanatics, manipulating a global superpower to trigger Armageddon.
- Platform: X
- Status: Active
Blood Libels and Pedophilia
One of the most alarming trends is the weaponization of the war to spread modern blood libels, merging anti-Zionism with QAnon-style “Satanic panic” and the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. Mega-influencer Candace Owens explicitly called on American soldiers to leave the military, framing the conflict not as a political misjudgement, but as a moral atrocity: “This war is on behalf of satanic pedophiles… Do not fight for child rapists.” (While Owens uses the term “Zionists,” the implication is clear).
- Platform: X
- Status: Active
Online discourse has shifted from political criticism to the direct application of “pedophilia” and “child rape” tropes against Jews. This new-age blood libel is illustrated by posts that explicitly label Jewish individuals and public figures as “pedophiles,” often using the Star of David to visually cement the link between the Jewish faith and these heinous accusations. By framing the conflict and its supporters through the lens of a “satanic” or “pedophilic” conspiracy, these users transform traditional antisemitic tropes into a modern, viral form of dehumanization.
- Platform: X
- Status: Active
Smaller accounts are adding their own takes to conspiracies touted by major influencers which are flagrantly antisemitic. One user openly renamed the U.S. operation: “OPERATION USE AMERICAN KIDS TO DIE FOR JEWS & PEDOS,” demonstrating how anti-war sentiment is used to mainstream explicit antisemitism.
- Platform: X
- Status: Active
An Instagram video featuring the headline “Was Jeffrey Epstein a mossad agent?” alongside an image of Epstein and a creator discussing the theory. This type of content illustrates the “Satanic panic” and “Jeffrey Epstein scandal” tropes mentioned in the report, where anti-Zionism is weaponized by linking Israeli intelligence to pedophilia. By framing Epstein as a “Mossad agent,” the narrative suggests that Israeli institutions are inherently tied to child exploitation and blackmail, a central theme in modern blood libels used to delegitimize the state and its supporters during the war.
- Platform: Instagram
- Status: Active
Holocaust Inversion and Historical Blame
The conflict is being exploited to entirely demonize Jews, utilizing cynical Holocaust inversion and blaming Jews for America’s greatest historical traumas.
Posts are claiming that Operation Epic Fury is “literally the same thing” as the Holocaust. One user stated that Trump and Netanyahu “have the exact same motives” as Hitler, adding the chilling caveat: “The only difference is they aren’t putting them in gas chambers (yet).”
- Platform: X
- Status: Active
Users are combining every modern antisemitic theory into a single, unified narrative. Prominent tweets explicitly blamed “The Jews” for blackmailing the government with “child sexual assault,” carrying out “911 Nd the USS liberty,” and now dragging the U.S. “to war to destroy their enemies and die.”
- Platform: X
- Status: Active
This Facebook comment represents a severe escalation from political critique to explicit antisemitic incitement. The content directly validates the perpetrator of the Holocaust as a response to the current conflict, illustrating how war narratives are used to mainstream the most extreme forms of Jew-hatred.
Original Content (Russian): “Начинаю думать что Хитляр был во многом прав. Вы не заслуживаете ничего хорошего.”.
English Translation: “I’m starting to think that Khitlyar [Hitler] was right in many ways. You don’t deserve anything good.”
- Platform: Facebook
- Status: Removed
This thread is a textbook example of Holocaust inversion, where the Jewish people are collectively labeled as “fascists”. By claiming that Jews “attack other countries” and view themselves as an “exceptional nation,” the narrative mirrors classic antisemitic tropes of Jewish aggression and superiority.
Original Content (Russian): “Евреи стали фашистами , то и дело нападают на другие страны , видимо возомнили себя исключительной нацией .”.
English Translation: “Jews have become fascists, they keep attacking other countries, apparently they think they are an exceptional nation.”
- Platform: Threads
- Status: Active
Strategic Recommendations
The platform moderation remains largely reactive. While explicit calls for violence are often flagged, content masked as “political critique” or “conspiracy theory”—even when utilizing classic antisemitic tropes—frequently remains live.
To mitigate the immediate risk of digital radicalization and potential real-world violence, FOA recommends the following interventions:
- Codifying “ZOG” and Related Tropes as Hate Speech
Platforms must explicitly categorize “Zionist Occupied Government” (ZOG) and its derivatives as hate speech, rather than protected political discourse. These terms are not legitimate geopolitical critiques; they are modern iterations of classical antisemitic libels designed to delegitimize democratic institutions.
- Recalibrating Algorithmic Promotion of “Bridge” Content
Major platforms, specifically TikTok and Instagram, must re-examine the algorithmic amplification of “mega-influencers” who utilize “just asking questions” (JAQ-ing) rhetoric. This tactic serves as a gateway, sanitizing and introducing extremist conspiracies to mass audiences under the guise of curiosity.
- Enhancing Multilingual Evasion Detection
Investment is required in sophisticated detection tools capable of identifying phonetic workarounds and linguistic bypasses. Current filters are being easily circumvented by international networks to facilitate the global spread of Holocaust inversion and justification.
- Cross-Platform Accountability
While X (Twitter) remains the primary hub for unmasked hate speech, the “mainstreaming” effect is driven by viral clips on visual-first platforms. A unified, cross-platform approach to terminology and moderation standards is essential to closing the “evasion loops” currently exploited by bad actors.