Online conversations about protests on college campuses continued to grow throughout the week. According to FCAS’ Command Center, there have been an additional 3 million posts on the topic since last Friday, taking the total volume of online conversation since April 17 to over 5.7 million posts. That translates to a more than 2700% increase in conversation since the protests began in April, and makes up more than 44% of all college campus-related mentions since October 7.

This graph depicts the volume over time of conversation about college campus antisemitism between August 1, 2024, and May 2, 2024. 

 

Since April 17, the Command Center has tracked posts related to protests and encampments on over 110 colleges and universities across the United States. As a response, FCAS founder Robert Kraft shared this message as a full-page ad in 12 major newspapers across the country this week. The message about the rising antisemitism and hate on college campuses called on leaders to act with courage, hold students and faculty accountable for their actions, and encourage all people to stand up to Jewish hate and all hate. 

 

Across the country, many people came together to hold counter-protests in support of Jewish students, including in Washington D.C., New York, and Boston, which attracted over 1,000 people with Blue Square #StandUpToJewishHate pins handed out to participants. 

The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) garnered the most campus protest-related attention online this week, receiving almost 900,000 social media mentions. Columbia University, with over 600,000 mentions, and Harvard University with almost 100,000 mentions, were second and third in terms of post volume this week. 

This chart depicts the top universities discussed in the past week related to antisemitism, according to mention volume. 

 

UCLA’s spike in social media mentions was largely due to several events on campus, starting on Monday as anti-Israel protesters blocked a Jewish student from attending class. Anti-Israel narratives began spreading online on Wednesday following a confrontation between groups of counter-protesters. Several users called the confronting students “Zionist terrorists” and a “lynch mob.” Coverage of the Los Angeles Police Department dispersing the encampment also produced a significant spike in online conversation. 

 

Columbia University continued to dominate much of the coverage this week, as protesters occupied Hamilton Hall, broke its windows, and took campus workers hostage on Tuesday. NYPD officers later broke up the protest and arrested hundreds at the encampment. Anti-Israel users online decried the mass arrest and denounced President Minouche Shafik for allowing the NYPD to act, while other users applauded Shafik for finally taking action.

Protesters replaced an American flag with a Palestinian flag at Harvard Yard on Saturday, propelling the school to become the third most-discussed college of the week. Users online were outraged, calling the act un-American and drawing parallels between the anti-Israel movement and anti-American rhetoric. The story also led to misinformation online, with many assuming that the Harvard administration ordered the removal of the American flag.

With college campus protests receiving the most attention on social media, two neo-Nazi demonstrations over the past week received hardly any coverage. Prominent extremist group Patriot Front marched in Charleston, W. Va., on Sunday at the same time as YWCA Charleston’s Race to End Racism. Charleston Mayor Amy Goodwin made a statement standing with the local YWCA and emphasizing the need for events like theirs in the face of hate. 

 

Another neo-Nazi group demonstrated in Greenwich, Conn., where members of the New England-based extremist group NSC-131 rallied in front of the town hall to protest an assault against a white teenager in the area earlier in the month. The demonstrators held banners saying “New England Is Ours” and other slogans promoting hatred and white supremacy. 

 

These two demonstrations did not receive many mentions on social media, but several locals in the Charleston and Greenwich areas posted videos of the events and condemned the extremist groups.

On Friday, student leaders Christian Harvey and Emma Friese in partnership with the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism announced the New England Patriots third-round draft pick during the live broadcast. Harvey and Friese are two leaders who stand up to hate every day and are working on rebuilding bridges between the Black and Jewish communities. A video of the powerful moment was shared by the New England Patriots and National Football League on their social channels, garnering thousands of views on social media. Some shared the video on their own channels to show their support of the moment while others shared messages of support in the comment section, thanking the New England Patriots and owner Robert Kraft for taking a powerful stance.

 

The phrase “United States of Israel” gained over 200,000 mentions on social media this past week, where thousands of users accused Israel of having disproportionate influence on or controlling the United States government. Many of these users criticized U.S. politicians by calling them more loyal to Israel than to their own country, and assuming that the “Israeli lobby” is paying off these politicians. Such conspiracy theories are examples of antisemitic tropes, such as Jewish control and dual loyalty. Users employed these antisemitic tropes this week to criticize the U.S. government for supplying foreign aid to Israel and for passing a resolution aimed at combatting antisemitism.

 

 

The House of Representatives voted to pass the Antisemitism Awareness Act on Wednesday, with a vote of 320 in favor and 91 against. Democratic representatives made up the majority of the opposition, but 21 Republicans, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), joined them. Rep. Greene came under fire for her dissent against the act, objecting to the legislation’s point that accusing Jews of killing Jesus is antisemitic, which is a trope known as deicide. Greene explained that this portion is the reason for her voting against the act because the Gospel states that Jews crucified Jesus, a belief that led to many pogroms against Jewish communities and was denounced as false by the Catholic Church. Many users online celebrated the passage of the Antisemitism Awareness Act, and several denounced Greene by calling her comments a form of blood libel. 

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) also received backlash this week and is facing the possibility of censure after calling some Jewish students “pro-genocide” last Thursday. Omar stated, "We should not have to tolerate antisemitism or bigotry for all Jewish students, whether they are pro-genocide or anti-genocide." Users online quickly condemned Omar for her remarks, accusing her of antisemitism. Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) plans to introduce a censure resolution, accusing her of blaming Jewish students for the actions of Israel. Meanwhile, Omar’s spokesperson claimed that her words are being misconstrued and that she stands against antisemitism and Islamophobia.

 

 

 

 

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