Antisemites spread claim online that Sydney massacre was ‘false flag’ op by Mossad

Social media antisemitism monitor warns of surge in antisemitic comments after 15 Jews were gunned down at a Chanukah celebration in Sydney, notes spread of conspiracy theory blaming the Mossad for the massacre.

By World Israel News Staff

An online antisemitism watchdog group warned Sunday that the massacre at a Sydney Chanukah event has inspired a wave of anti-Jewish bigotry on social media, along with a new antisemitic conspiracy theory, blaming Israel for the deadly shooting.

On Sunday night, hours after 15 Jews were murdered and dozens more wounded in a shooting attack on a Chabad event held at Bondi Beach in Sydney, CyberWell issued a statement condemning the massacre and expressing “disgust” at an uptick in antisemitic comments on social media following the mass shooting.

CyberWell, an independent organization that partners with major social media platforms to monitor and combat antisemitism, said there was a “surge of hatred and incitement” against Jews “that has followed across social media platforms, particularly in the comments section.”

The group’s monitoring team has observed “dehumanizing mockery of the victims,” including the use of new anti-Jewish images and GIFs, such as pigs and soap bars, to avoid being flagged by existing online monitoring tools.

There have also been explicit calls for additional attacks on Jews and comments telling Jews to “go to hell.”

Many antisemitic comments also shifted blame for the attack to Jews, including conspiracy theories suggesting the massacre was a “false flag” operation conducted by Israel’s Mossad, with the goal of dividing Australians.

Some users falsely claimed that Naveed Akram, one of the two gunmen, had served as an IDF soldier in the Gaza Strip.

Buckley Carlson, the younger brother of far-right conspiracy theorist and anti-Israel pundit Tucker Carlson, promoted claims on X denying the attack altogether, reposting a comment that claimed that human rights attorney Arsen Ostrovsky, who was wounded in the attack, had faked his injuries.

“When your ego betrays the Op,” wrote Carlson.

When Ostrovsky denounced Carlson for the post, Carlson claimed that the wound Ostrovsky suffered was “pretty facile for a ‘head shot’ victim.”

“The response to this vicious act of terror requires action – action that not only addresses violent antisemitism offline but stops the continued normalization and amplification of hatred and calls to violence in the online universe,” said CyberWell founder and CEO Tal-Or Cohen Montemayor.