Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism released on Thursday what it described as troubling monitoring findings showing a sharp surge in antisemitic discourse on social media in Australia following the deadly attack at Bondi Beach in Sydney. The attack occurred during Hanukkah celebrations and killed 15 people.
According to data from the ministry’s National Situation Room, there was an unprecedented spike in antisemitic content online on December 14 and 15, the day of the attack and the day after. Before the attack, antisemitic mentions in Australia averaged about 2,700 to 3,300 posts per day.
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Flowers and candles were placed at the site of the terror attack at Bondi Beach
(Photo: Hollie Adams/ Reuters)
On December 14, the day of the attack, the number jumped to 17,100 mentions, an increase of about 420%. The following day, the figure rose further to more than 21,500 mentions, representing an increase of roughly 600 percent compared with the period before the attack. Although levels later declined somewhat, antisemitic discourse remained about five times higher than before the incident, the ministry said.
The data is based on continuous monitoring, collection and analysis by the National Situation Room, which operates around the clock to identify trends of incitement, antisemitism and delegitimization in online and physical spaces.
The ministry said its monitoring focuses on content containing terms almost exclusively associated with antisemitic rhetoric, including slurs and Holocaust denial language. It said this methodology allows it to track antisemitic trends without capturing neutral references to Jews or related topics.
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The ministry said it is working in coordination with the Jewish community in Australia and with Israeli government offices to provide detailed reports, alerts on incitement hotspots and professional support to communities, educational institutions and students. The surge in online antisemitic discourse was accompanied by a wave of incidents, including verbal attacks against Jewish students, property damage and a heightened sense of threat within the Jewish community, the ministry said.
Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Minister Amichai Chikli said the spike underscored what he called the depth of antisemitism in Australia.
“The surge in antisemitic discourse online after the attack illustrates the severity of antisemitism in Australia, where the government is not doing enough to eradicate it,” Chikli said. “Online incitement is part of a dangerous web of hatred that increases the threat to the Jewish community. This is the time for real and determined action against every manifestation of antisemitism.”