‘Foreign bots’ caused spike in anti-Semitism, say NY lawmakers

Certain members of Congress blamed “foreign adversaries” for “instigating a rise in anti-Semitism and hate” in a recent letter to the FBI.

By Joseph Wolkin, World Israel News

A group of congress members sent a letter on Thursday afternoon to several U.S. security officials asking for an investigation into “whether foreign adversaries are instigating a rise in anti-Semitism and hate.”

Tom Suozzi, Peter King, Kathleen Rice and Gregory Meeks, each of whom represent New York districts in Congress, signed a letter claiming that the rise in anti-Semitic attacks in the United States might be tied to foreign nationals using social media campaigns.

“We are requesting that your offices specifically investigate potential state-sponsored campaigns by our foreign adversaries to sow civil unrest in America using social media disinformation campaigns, corruption and foreign actors,” the letter reads.

“The power of social media provides nefarious actors the ability to exploit ignorance and spread hate, in an effort to undermine national unity for their strategic interest. In addition to tanks, missiles and soldiers, we must be conscious of our adversaries’ efforts to undermine our nation using cyberspace, economic systems and corruption,” the letter continues.

The letter was sent to Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, CIA Director Gina Haspel, acting secretary of homeland security Chad Wolf and FBI Director Christopher Wray.

“We are well aware of the impact of divisive rhetoric at the national level, the new power of social media, and the lack of knowledge about historic events, such as the Holocaust,” the letter states.

The group cites a February 2018 investigation conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice, which saw 13 Russians and three companies charged with using fake social media accounts, false advertising and different tools to attempt to change the outcome of the 2016 elections.

The connection to the anti-Semitic attacks, they believe, is due to the social media campaigns that reach out to radical groups.

“The indictment states that these same nefarious actors paid for advertisements on social media platforms and other places that specifically sought to divide Americans based on race, religion, and other factors,” the letter reads.

On Sunday, the UJA Federation, along with dozens of other Jewish groups, took part in a solidarity march in New York City. The “No Hate. No Fear.” march featured dozens of speakers. People can follow updates from the march by using the hashtags #JewishandProud #StandTogether on social media.

anti-Semitism