A new study has found that online antisemitism in the Netherlands has risen dramatically in recent years, with the proportion of antisemitic content on social media and online forums doubling between 2021 and 2024. Even more concerning, the number of posts containing direct antisemitic threats against Jews increased fivefold over the same period, highlighting what researchers describe as a structural hardening of online hate.
The research, carried out by the Dutch research agency Textgain on behalf of CIDI and Meld Antisemitisme, analysed more than 105 million public posts published across fifteen social media platforms, online forums and alternative media websites. The project was supported in part by the National Coordinator on Combating Antisemitism (NCAB).
According to the researchers, the Hamas terrorist attacks of 7 October 2023 marked a decisive turning point. Since then, levels of online antisemitism in the Netherlands have risen sharply and remained consistently higher than before. None of the platforms examined returned to their pre-October 2023 levels of antisemitic content.
The study also found that the nature of online antisemitism has become increasingly severe. The use of explicitly antisemitic slurs increased fivefold between 2021 and 2023. In both 2023 and 2024, researchers identified more than one thousand online posts containing direct threats against Jews, including calls for their murder and extermination.
Alongside this increase in hostility, antisemitic rhetoric has become more closely intertwined with wider online discussions. While traditional conspiracy theories alleging Jewish control and influence continue to circulate, a growing proportion of antisemitic content has centred on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since 2023. The share of anti-Israel and anti-Zionist rhetoric within antisemitic content rose from 18 per cent in earlier years to 42 per cent in 2024.
The report also highlights a shift in the online communities where antisemitic narratives are shared. In 2021, such content was largely confined to far-right and conspiracy-oriented echo chambers. However, from 2023 onwards, researchers observed its expansion into far-left and left-wing online spaces. At the same time, foreign influence evolved from being virtually absent in 2021 to becoming a structural feature of the online antisemitic landscape by 2024.
Researchers further noted that discussions concerning Jews are consistently more hostile than online discourse in general. Only between 30 and 35 per cent of posts relating to Jews were classified as entirely neutral, compared with between 63 and 70 per cent of general online discussions.
The overall toxicity of antisemitic content has also intensified. The proportion of posts classified as having a medium level of toxicity increased from 12 per cent in 2021 to almost 18 per cent in 2024, while the share of highly toxic posts doubled over the same period.
Another significant finding is the growing role of online meme culture in spreading antisemitic ideas. Researchers warn that seemingly humorous memes and images are increasingly being used to normalise antisemitic stereotypes, introduce references to antisemitic literature and facilitate the gradual radicalisation of online audiences.
The authors conclude that online antisemitism in the Netherlands is no longer a temporary or event-driven phenomenon but a structural and deeply entrenched problem. They argue that it continually adapts to current events, becoming more visible, more aggressive and increasingly normalised within certain segments of online debate.
The report is the first edition of a long-term monitoring project examining online antisemitism in the Netherlands. It will be repeated annually with the aim of tracking developments over time, identifying emerging trends at an early stage and supporting targeted measures to prevent the further spread and normalisation of antisemitism online.
