Sexual assault 'prevalent theme' among antisemitic far-right, report finds

Analysts found misogyny was “prevalent” on the channels while sexual assault was a “prevalent” topic among users.

The word “rape” ranked among the most popular keywords, with searches for the term returning close to 46,200 results. The word “rapist” appeared in nearly 4,000 posts. 

Pro-rape comments were “not uncommon”, with some posts openly promoting sexual assault “as a political weapon” and “occasionally to target Jewish women”, analysts discovered.

While only 0.1 per cent of posts featured both misogynistic and antisemitic keywords, when targeted “the intersection of misogyny and antisemitism often results in particularly vile abuse, where [Jewish women] are portrayed as inherently ugly, dirty and promiscuous, and, less frequently, as temptresses of white men,” they also found. 

The report accuses Telegram of continuing to “fail to take appropriate action” against hate, though stresses the platform “is just one part of a wider ecosystem, which itself is being fed by wider issues and social attitudes,”.

Reacting to the report’s release, APT chief executive Danny Stone noted that Jewish women had “led the fight against antisemitism, particularly so in recent years.”

But there was little appreciation for the “specific gendered harms they encounter,” he added, calling for action to tackle the “intersectional abuse” they face. 

He added that the approach to online harm in the Government’s planned Online Safety Bill “must not be siloed.”

“Intersectional abuse, in this case of Jewish women, must be recognised and addressed for the pernicious dual harm that it is,” he said. 

The draft legislation proposes to empower Ofcom to fine social firms deemed to have failed in a new duty of care and block access to websites.

Only a “small minority” of those harboring anti-feminist attitudes descend into hardline antisemitism, but misogyny “remains a potentially fertile recruiting pool,” said HNH researcher David Lawrence.

“Anti-feminism and misogyny, and gender issues in general, have long been routes towards antisemitism and other forms of racism.

“However, far-right opportunists are exploiting these prejudices in new ways, be it through a pernicious, antagonistic troll culture, or bogus conspiracy theories that allege that Jews are pushing feminism and brainwashing women,” Mr Lawrence said.

Telegram was approached for comment.