In order to exacerbate animosity within the United States, hate groups and extremist online provocateurs from the far-right have exploited the tensions surrounding the Israel-Hamas conflict.
These racist factions have harnessed technology to propagate images and music aimed at harassing the Jewish community in the aftermath of the conflict. The rapid advancement of AI tools and their widespread accessibility have facilitated this disturbing trend, as noted by experts monitoring online extremism.
Ben Decker, the CEO of Memetica, a firm specializing in threat analysis, highlighted the alarming convergence of ideologies between far-right online communities and pro-Hamas sentiments.
Recent data released by the Anti-Defamation League on Monday revealed a staggering 316% surge in racist incidents in the US following the October 7 Hamas terror attack on Israel, compared to the previous month. This escalation underscores law enforcement’s heightened vigilance as antisemitism continues to escalate nationwide.
Both the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security have issued alerts regarding threats targeting Jewish, Muslim, and Arab-American communities shortly after the Israel-Hamas conflict commenced. They emphasized that animosity and anti-Islamic sentiments are pervasive in certain violent extremist ideologies, serving as primary motivators for attacks by such extremists.
An upcoming briefing on Capitol Hill is expected to address the issue of domestic extremism, with leaders from both organizations slated to participate. A leaked police report obtained by CNN indicates that the DHS has been monitoring discriminatory and hate groups in the US that openly “celebrate attacks on the Jewish community.” FBI Director Christopher Wray has already expressed concerns about the historic levels of antisemitism prevalent in the country.
Synthetic Intelligence and the Proliferation of Hatred
Members of the notoriously hate-driven far-right online community wasted no time in commemorating the October 7 attack, leading Memetica to coin the term “the convergence of Hamas and White supremacist ideologies.”
Decker asserts that the White supremacists’ animosity towards Jews supersedes all other considerations, despite the seemingly paradoxical nature of their support for an Islamist terrorist group.
Karen Dunn, an attorney involved in litigation against individuals linked to the fatal 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, remarked that hate is a unifying force capable of uniting disparate hate groups that would otherwise be at odds, ultimately channeling their hatred towards other targets.
Hamas’ adept use of social media to disseminate its terrorist activities, despite being banned on most major platforms, was lauded by Decker. Following the October 7 attacks, Hamas experienced a significant surge in followers on Telegram, a popular messaging app.
Decker highlighted the coordinated efforts among individuals sharing real-time videos of the attacks on social media platforms, with the content subsequently being disseminated on Telegram. Although major platforms like Meta and YouTube may remove such content, Decker pointed out that 4chan users actively promote the circulation of this terrorist material.
4chan users have recently shared guides on utilizing readily available AI image generation tools to create antisemitic portrayals of Jews, relying on age-old stereotypes depicting them as malevolent or greedy puppeteers. These trolls encourage the distribution of these images online using various AI graphic tools, including detailed instructions provided by Microsoft Bing’s latest AI tool.
Despite existing regulations and safeguards on platforms like Microsoft, Carnegie Mellon experts demonstrated to CNN how AI systems can be manipulated to produce inappropriate content. Decker highlighted the ease with which existing regulations can be circumvented, exposing significant vulnerabilities in content moderation, particularly in relation to images.
A Microsoft spokesperson emphasized the company’s commitment to developing reliable and diverse AI systems, acknowledging the importance of addressing racist content and prohibiting the creation of harmful material.
A Fabricated Encounter
During a city council meeting in Calabasas, California, an individual identifying himself as Jon Greenblatt, the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, delivered a speech that closely resembled Jonathan Greenblatt, the actual leader of the ADL, a prominent anti-hate organization in the country.
However, the voice endorsing the Goyim Defense League (GDL), an antisemitic hate group, was not Greenblatt’s but rather a product of advanced AI technology capable of mimicking human voices.
Jon Minadeo, the head of the GDL, acknowledged the nascent nature of the AI technology, expressing a commitment to further refining it for future use. Following the AI-generated address, other racist individuals joined the meeting, one of whom adopted a name phonetically resembling “Jew warship.”
Mayor David Shapiro swiftly condemned such hateful speech, emphasizing the city’s stance against such communications, especially in the current climate.
The proliferation of AI technology has enabled extremists to disrupt city council meetings across the nation, with instances reported in states like Iowa, Massachusetts, and Oregon. These disruptive tactics extend to online meetings of various organizations, including Alcoholics Anonymous and police commissioner meetings, often using aliases associated with historical extremist movements.
According to a CNN spokesperson for the ADL, extremists are increasingly leveraging AI to distort and defame not only the ADL but also other Jewish individuals and organizations.
Propagation Through Pamphlets
Despite the adoption of cutting-edge tactics, hate groups continue to utilize traditional yet effective methods of communication, such as distributing pamphlets to disseminate their hateful messages.
The GDL’s flyers, perpetuating antiquated stereotypes about Jews, have been circulated in communities nationwide. Carla Hill, the ADL’s senior investigative research director, reported over 284 instances of hate flyers similar to those in Calabasas being distributed across 35 states this year.
The GDL even managed to broadcast anti-Semitic content at the CNN Center in Atlanta recently.
Following the distribution of these racist flyers, the GDL’s leader, Minadeo, received a 30-day jail sentence in Florida for littering—an act not protected under the First Amendment. Despite plans to challenge the ruling, his attorney confirmed the intention to contest the judgment.
Hate groups have also sought to co-opt the pro-Palestinian movement post the October 7 Israel-Hamas conflict to advance their antisemitic agenda. Members of the National Justice Party (NJP), an antisemitic group linked to the Unite the Right rally, staged a demonstration in support of Hamas outside the White House.
During a protest in Missoula, Montana, pro-Palestine demonstrators confronted a White supremacist group with chants of “Go home Fascists.”
Beyond hatred, other forms of extremism have gained traction in the US since the onset of the Israel-Hamas conflict. The Department of Homeland Security’s report highlighted how certain US extremists perceive global Muslim violence as a justification to target Arab communities domestically, leading to instances of harassment and threats directed at mosques and Islamic institutions.
The report also noted an increase in calls reporting individuals based solely on race, religion, or national origin, reflecting a concerning trend of baseless suspicions and discriminatory behavior.
