Israel-Hamas conflict & alt-social’s opportunistic attack on higher education

College campuses have been roiled by demonstrations and confrontations between pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian students in the weeks since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, prompting the Office for Civil Rights of the U.S. Department of Education to launch an investigation into allegations of “antisemitism, anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, and other forms of discrimination” at Harvard, Columbia, Cornell, Wellesley and the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), among others. Investigations into discriminatory practices at other institutions have been launched by the Education Department, including Stanford, UCLA, UCSD, University of Washington-Seattle, Rutgers and Whitman College. 

Prominent alumni of many of these universities have demanded greater protections for Jewish students from antisemitism and forceful action against calls for the genocide of the Israeli people and state. At a December 5 congressional hearing, the leaders of Harvard, M.I.T. and UPenn offered evasive answers to the question: “Would they discipline students calling for the genocide of Jews”, prompting calls for their resignation leading directly to the ouster of the president of the University of Pennsylvania; several prominent alumni have also resigned in protest from various university boards and suspended of gift giving to the organizations. 

Against this backdrop, we have identified two significant trends in the alternative social media (alt-social) ecosystem:      

1. Significant growth and proliferation of propaganda and hate speech targeting Jewish and Palestinian (Muslim) communities, and 
2. The weaponization of the Israel-Hamas conflict by various groups within the United States to drive various domestic far-right campaigns against minority groups. 

To this, another material theme has arisen in the alt-social ecosystem: exploiting the divisions between elite universities and Jewish communities to air hateful grievances aimed at higher education and their embrace of multiculturalism. It is notable that while much of the ire from the alt-social ecosystem is directed towards elite institutions of higher education, the underlying sentiment remains consistently hostile towards Jews/Israel.

Mentions of key Universities and Israel-Hamas conflict related language

Pyrra’s AI indicates a modest spike of alt-social activity following the initial Hamas attack that has steadily increased over the past two months as news reports of confrontations between pro-Palestinian and pro-Jewish groups have escalated. This sentiment peaked amid the college presidents’ congressional testimony (December 5) and has rebounded following developments in the aftermath (including UPenn President’s resignation on December 9 and the University’s expressions of support for Harvard President, Claudine Gay on December 12^th). With ongoing scrutiny by the U.S. House of Representatives and additional investigations by the U.S. Department of Education, additional spikes in activity are expected. 

Alt-Right’s suspicion of higher education

“Where did Anthony Fauci acquire the medical authority and credibility to impose a lockdown on America and arguably mislead the public? College. …Where did Somali-born Ilhan Omar learn to seemingly hate the country that saved her from the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya? College. Where did Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez learn that America must be bankrupted and evidently obliterated from within? College. Where did Nikole Hannah-Jones, the author of The 1619 Project, spread her revisionist history prior to joining the New York Times? College. Where was Barack Obama first inspired with a goal of fundamentally transforming America? College. Where was Hilary Clinton converted from a Goldwater Girl to a Saul Alinsky radical? College. Where was Critical Race Theory spawned? College.” - Charlie Kirk, The College Scam

College campuses have historically been the “frontline” of the alt-right’s battle against multiculturalism. A 2019 Pew Research Center survey found that conservatives have increasingly developed negative views towards colleges and universities, with many citing a lack of freedom of speech and concerns about political correctness on campus.

Concerns over indoctrination by left leaning faculty and the alleged suppression of speakers with alternative points of view have increasingly led to suspicion among the fringe actors that these institutions are spreading “woke” ideas driving the Great Replacement Theory. To this end, alt-social commentary has focused on perceived capture by liberal voices and elites – oftentimes manifesting into antisemitic or anti-multiculturalism tropes. 

Consistent with these views, the alt-social sentiment remains strongly suspicious of institutions of higher education as many in the fringe believe that Jews and other minority groups are gatekeeping access to educational and professional opportunities from nativist interests.  

‍

Harvard University

Harvard University has been the central target of alt-social hate speech directed towards higher education, in large part due to the “brand recognition” of the institution but also, notably, as it is led by Claudine Gay, the first Black woman to hold the post. While much of the alt-social criticism of higher education remains consistent with posts referencing Harvard, President Gay has drawn significant attention from the far right as the face of the institution and given her trailblazing background. Thankfully, despite her much-criticized testimony on Capitol Hill, the Harvard Board reaffirmed their support for Ms. Gay’s leadership, which has prompted more caustic criticism by the alt-right, with particular focus on her ethnicity and qualifications. 

Interestingly, while painting Ms. Gay and Harvard as antisemitic, much of the alt-social community remain convinced Harvard, as an institution, is controlled by Jews – seemingly an incongruent argument. As such, it can be inferred that much of the animosity directed towards President Gay is not meant to be a coherent critique of Harvard but rather an opportunistic opening to express hateful sentiments towards African Americans, Jews, higher education and the perceived “elite”. Alt-social threats toward Harvard and Ms. Gay range in severity from mild criticism to acute violence and remain a concern as this matter continues to unfold. 

We expect that higher educational institutions will continue to come under increasing threat and be targeted into 2024 as members of the far-right become further emboldened. Given the challenging role of academia in analyzing complex issues and the intellectual authority bestowed to them by the public, colleges and universities will continue to be a focus of hate for alt-social actors, especially considering the ongoing conflict in Gaza, the upcoming 2024 presidential election and likely unforeseen issues/conflicts that will inevitably arise. Online threats targeting high-profile individuals will continue, but anger may manifest in protests and physical violence on campus. 

Pyrra’s goal is to make the internet and the world safer by identifying and tracking dangerous hate speech, violent threats and harmful narratives across the unmoderated corners of the internet. If you or your team need support to monitor the worsening situation in Gaza, protect your team or track disinformation email sales@pyrratech.com or reach out to your point of contact for a chat.