Longstanding accusations of Israeli organ harvesting have reemerged in the aftermath of the October 7 massacres. This conspiracy theory plays on the blood libel trope, which dates to the Middle Ages and alleges that Jews use the blood of Christian children to bake their Passover bread. In the current Israeli-Palestinian context, organs are substituted for blood, and in some cases, activists are alleging that Israel purposefully kills Palestinians to harvest their organs.   In…

Owen Benjamin (aka Owen Smith) is a former mainstream comedian and actor who has embraced far-right conspiratorial and antisemitic content since 2018. He released a standup comedy performance on October 13, 2023, that includes antisemitic, anti-LGBTQ+ and racist rhetoric.  Benjamin, who starred in several films and comedy specials in the early 2010s, experienced significant success as a mainstream conservative comedian, and appeared in the movies The House Bunny and All’s Faire…

In the weeks following the October 7 Hamas terror attack on Israel, political activists have targeted elected officials – and their offices – with harassment and vandalism. Many of these incidents featured anti-Israel rhetoric, allegations of support for genocide and demands for a ceasefire.   Fewer than half of the elected officials who have reported being targeted by protestors are Jewish. All targeted individuals have expressed support for Israel, and most have…

Jewish and Muslim communities worldwide have been rocked by the impact of Hamas’s October 7, 2023 war on Israel, its massacre of over 1,200 people and Israel’s military response targeting Hamas and other terrorists in Gaza.  That impact has included an increased number of threats against both Jewish and Muslim communities, per the FBI and ADL.  In the U.S., a number of post-October 7 incidents targeting Muslim, Palestinian and Arab American individuals appear to be…

Since the Hamas-led terror massacre in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) campaigns directly targeting “Zionist” institutions, businesses or individuals, have persisted in response to Israel’s operations against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. BDS is a component of a long history of campaigns and efforts to delegitimize and isolate Israel. In recent years, this has explicitly focused on the rejection, isolation and marginalization of&nbsp…

Since the 1970s, some shareholders of publicly traded companies have used “shareholder proposals” as a form of activism to encourage more responsible corporate behavior and to raise concern on issues that a company may not be adequately managing. Proposals can include demands that companies divest from certain funds or entities, uphold codes of conduct, improve disclosure on environmental and social topics, or make tangible commitments to improving business practices.   …

Toolkits are a popular tool for activists to share information and organize around a topic or policy demand, from city hall resolutions to Congressional action. There is nothing inherently nefarious about activists wishing to effect change. However, in the post-October 7 landscape, some anti-Israel activists’ rhetoric include outright support for terrorism.   In certain cases, the rhetoric in these calls to action crosses the line into support for or minimization of terror. If…

Promoters of conspiracy theories and hate are using generative artificial intelligence (GAI) to create misleading content about the Israel-Hamas war. This not only amplifies confusion and hate on social media; it can also cause some to doubt the validity of actual war images, creating unnecessary suspicion at a time of deeply polarized public opinion. ADL’s previous research includes recommendations on what tech companies should do to address heinous abuses of GAI technology such as…

Since Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre of 1,400 people in Israel, U.S.-based anti-Israel activists and organizations have justified, excused and even venerated the terror group’s actions that day, some using overtly antisemitic rhetoric. That includes a number of U.S. university professors, some of whom have expressed inflammatory views, celebrating Hamas’s actions on October 7 as “heroic” or an “achievement” and calling for “Zionists” to…

Hundreds of organizations from across the country marched in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, November 4, 2023. The official published demands of the protest included ceasefire to the Hamas-Israel war, an end of the “siege of Gaza” and the termination of all U.S. aid to Israel. Yet attendees, who numbered in the tens of thousands, went much further and leaned into rhetoric supporting the October 7 Hamas massacre and other acts of terror targeting Israel, calls for the end of Israel,…

On Wednesday, October 25, 2023, students at more than 100 U.S. college campuses staged walkouts demanding an end to U.S. aid to Israel and that their institutions divest from weapons companies allegedly involved with Israel. The walkouts, prompted by Israel’s military response to Hamas’s October 7 massacre, were organized primarily by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapters and several other student groups. Some events included language that both explicitly and implicitly…

On October 8, 2023, the day after Hamas terrorists invaded Israel and killed 1,400 Israelis, and kidnapped at least 203 people (including Americans), most of whom were civilians, many anti-Israel activists flocked to rallies across the United States at which speakers and attendees openly celebrated the brutal attacks.   Since then, activists at anti-Israel rallies have continued to justify and celebrate Hamas’s slaughter of Israelis. Activists have stated that all Israelis are…

In the wake of Hamas’s deadly invasion of Israel on October 7, 2023, a slew of misinformation, disinformation and conspiracy theories about the ongoing conflict are percolating on social media.   The following is a list of false or misleading narratives and the truth of each case.   UPDATED December 13, 2023   FALSE NARRATIVE: Photo of deceased infant in Palestine is a “doll”    On December 1, 2023, photos and videos of a…

Some fringe-left groups are aligning with anti-Zionist organizations in the wake of Hamas's attack on Israel.

White supremacist leaders are openly celebrating Hamas’s attack on Israel, cheering explicit depictions of violence against Israelis and promoting expanded violence against Jews worldwide.  During his Sunday night livestream, Goyim Defense League (GDL) leader Jon Minadeo effused as he played clip after clip of violent kidnappings, assaults and murders perpetrated by Hamas terrorists in Israel.   As the gore played out onscreen, Minadeo laughed, danced, snacked and…

Following the October 7, 2023, invasion of Israel, anti-Israel group Students for Justice in Palestine endorsed Hamas's acts of terrorism.

A day after Hamas’s Oct 7, 2023 invasion of Israel, when hundreds of Israelis were killed, anti-Israel activist organizations held at least 39 rallies in the U.S.

As the deadly assaults on Israel continue, extremists, antisemites and conspiracy theorists are flocking to online spaces to cheer for Hamas.

Anti-Israel groups express support for Hamas after deadly surprise attack.