THREAD: A new report from CST reveals the shocking extent of terror incitement and anti-Jewish hate created and circulated by right wing extremists online. The contents of this report are of essential importance in understanding the growing danger of far right terrorism. 
The 'hate fuel' revealed in this report consists of online memes, videos and slogans that celebrate previous terrorist attacks on synagogues, mosques and churches, and encourage others to follow suit.
Much of this content promotes dangerous conspiracy theories about Jews and other minorities: the same conspiracy theories that have inspired deadly attacks around the world in the past two years, including those targeting synagogues in the United States and in Germany.
Central to this is the ‘Great Replacement’ conspiracy theory, that alleges Jewish organisations and synagogues are using mass immigration to undermine white Western nations.
This report highlights four social media platforms where thousands of violent antisemitic videos, memes and posts are regularly shared by far right extremists who have migrated away from mainstream sites like Facebook and YouTube.
These four platforms – Gab, Telegram, BitChute and 4chan – were either set up or operates as a direct challenge to the social media giants, citing free speech or privacy as justifications for their role in the promotion or distribution of hateful, inciteful and violent content.
They provide relatively unregulated online spaces for extremists to share content that celebrates and encourages hatred and murder.
The content revealed in this report is so extreme, both in terms of the violent imagery we found and the quantity of explicit antisemitism, that it would be irresponsible for CST to publish the report in full.
CST are sharing it privately with Police, government and other counter-extremism officials and experts, and we are publishing a sample of the content of the report in a blog post on CST’s website. #CSTresearch cst.org.uk/news/blog/2020…
Shockingly, all the material in this report is easily accessible to anybody who wishes to find it. CST has produced this report because we fear the quantity and spread of this incitement poses an urgent and ongoing terror threat to Jewish communities.
It shows the challenge of policing hateful extremism in the UK; the need for international cooperation in tackling the far right, the responsibility of platforms (and their directors) for illegal content they host; and the urgent need for regulation of all online platforms.
This is a global movement that has already sparked terrorist attacks on synagogues, mosques and other minorities in Europe, north America and New Zealand.
The perpetrators of attacks are held up as heroes by right wing extremists, who celebrate their deeds and encourage each other to emulate them, like this image of John Earnest, who attacked the Chabad of Poway synagogue in San Diego County.
Even though far right terrorist attacks are perpetrated by lone actors in different continents, they view themselves as part of a single global movement, with its own online language and subculture that is developed and sustained on these platforms.
Specific organisations and national identities are less relevant in what has become a genuinely organic, grassroots global subculture.
Governments, law enforcement and technology platforms must cooperate internationally to combat the propaganda that fuels it, just as they have done previously to tackle the propaganda that encourages and promotes jihadist terrorism.
This report is intended to raise awareness of the deadly consequences of what happens when such material goes unchallenged: the hateful content contained in this report is only a small fraction of what is generated by this online hate community.
The consequences of inaction are clear. Until this hate fuel is challenged and comprehensively removed, it is likely that further acts of violence will continue or worsen. END
