ADL Finds “Alarming” Number Of Antisemitic Tweets Against Lawmakers And George Soros

Topline

The ADL analyzed all the tweets directed at the 30 incumbent Jewish members of the House and Senate for a report published weeks before the election and found an “alarming” number of antisemitic tweets, including propagating an unsubstantiated conspiracy theory that billionaire philanthropist George Soros funds and organizes the political careers of Jewish politicians and liberal protests to create a “Jewish supremacy” in the United States.

George Soros meets with European Union Commission President Jean Claude Juncker in Brussels, … [+] Belgium on April 27, 2017.

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Key Facts

The ADL reviewed tweets posted between July 23 and Aug. 22 for a new report published Tuesday and identified 5,954 tweets as “potentially” antisemitic and 10% of those tweets as “problematic” for using antisemitic language, conspiracy theories, tropes or for doubting the incumbents because they are Jewish.

A 48% majority of all the “problematic” tweets questioned the “loyalty, honesty, ideology, and faith” of the Jewish incumbents.

Soros conspiracy theories accounted for 39% of all the “problematic tweets,” and included allegations he funds and organizes Black Lives Matter and Antifa protests and the careers of Jewish politicians and journalists.

Of the “problematic” tweets, 15% included tropes related to the conspiracy theory that Jews control important political, financial and media entities and “exploit” them at the “detriment of others.”

Some of the “problematic” tweets, 7%, included explicit antisemitic language in violation of Twitter’s policies and the posts have yet to be taken down, according to ADL.

A spokesperson for Twitter told the Wall Street Journal antisemitic content is prohibited under the platform’s rules on hateful content and said Twitter would take action without listing next steps.

Further Background

Soros has donated billions to Democratic political action committees and causes. His philanthropy, Open Society Foundations, funds projects to advance democracy worldwide and politically charged U.S. organizations ranging from Planned Parenthood to Black Lives Matter. Right-wing conservatives have claimed he is responsible for a “globalist” movement and is a left-wing radical responsible for liberal protests. ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt says the term “globalist” refers to “Jewish people who are seen as having allegiances not to their countries of origin like the United States, but to some global conspiracy.” President Trump used the term to describe Soros in his 2016 campaign ads, which many regarded as antisemitic. Soros has been a target for years and, in 2018, an explosive device was found in his mailbox but nobody was hurt.

Tangent

Trump allegedly said Jews “are only in it for themselves” and “stick together” after a call last month with Jewish lawmakers, according to a Washington Post article, which relied on anonymous sources the paper described as “current and former U.S. officials.” Trump reportedly ended the call saying, “We really appreciate you, we love your country also and thank you very much,” according to CNN. His use of the term “your country” was similar to previous remarks he’s made that were criticized for the suggestion that American Jews are disloyal to him and loyal to Israel.