Fake Twitter accounts impersonate Jews and promote anti-Semitism

JOSEFIN DOLSTEN

The author of the post urges readers to “create a massive movement of fake Jewish profiles on Facebook, Twitter, etc.” The goal, according to the post, is to avoid censorship by social media companies and spread conspiracy theories about Jewish involvement in the slave trade, the global economy, mass media, and the porn industry.

“You will have the benefit of labelling anyone an anti-Semite who disagrees with you,” the anonymous post suggested on Friday.

Since then, Twitter users who track Jewish content have documented fake accounts created in recent days.

Yair Rosenberg, a writer for Tablet magazine who reported the 4chan post on Twitter on Monday, shared screenshots of accounts impersonating Jews that he said were created after the 4chan post. The accounts use photos of real and purported Jews and stereotypically Jewish names.

“After the call went out on 4chan, a network of new Twitter accounts run by white supremacists pretending to be Jews popped up,” Rosenberg wrote. “Often, they masquerade as orthodox Jews, Israelis and/or Jewish leftists. They all follow each other, and promote anti-Semitic and anti-Israel content.”

Some of the accounts claimed to be affiliated with Jewish Voice for Peace, a left-wing organisation that supports the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement against Israel. Others expressed support for Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign, and Jewish protests against ICE (United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement). Many promoted anti-Semitic ideas.

“#JewishRacism is alive, well, and very real. I am Jewish and see this same hatred towards European people from Jews every day,” read a tweet on Friday by an account using the name “Simon Edelson”.

“Some of us Jews have been known to bend the truth at times for our own advantage,” read a tweet by an account called “Chaim Adelberg”.

Avital Chizhik Goldschmidt, an editor at Jewish newspaper The Forward, said one of the accounts used a photo of her husband, a rabbi, under a fake name and biography.

Impersonation campaigns have become a tool for online trolling and disinformation campaigns by governments and private individuals. On Monday, Twitter and Facebook took action against China for using hundreds of fake accounts to sow political discord during the Hong Kong protests.

Under Twitter policy, “accounts portraying another person in a confusing or deceptive manner may be permanently suspended”. Some of the fake Jewish accounts had been suspended or deleted as of Tuesday afternoon.

The lightly moderated 4chan has developed a reputation for serving as a platform for malicious posts and online-harassment schemes.