Threats Of Violence, Antisemitism Flood Social Media After Helene

A wave of antisemitic rhetoric and online threats has been leveled at state and federal officials in North Carolina as they respond to the destructive aftermath of Hurricane Helene, said a report released on Tuesday by a nonprofit research group that studies online platforms. Researchers with the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, the nonprofit, found that on X, 33 posts that contained misinformation about the flood response had together generated more than 160 million views as of Monday. The posts have driven many of the false claims that have been swirling since the remnants of Helene decimated western North Carolina with extreme flooding and mudslides, reports the New York Times. “The speed and impact of the falsehoods and half-truths in the wake of the Hurricane Helene response illustrate just how unprepared platforms, government and the media are for the deluge of misinformation, hate and violent threats that will come in the wake of a contentious event,” the researchers wrote.

Antisemitic attacks have been lobbed mainly at the mayor of Asheville, Esther Manheimer, as well as at the secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s director of public affairs, Jaclyn Rothenberg. Posts that questioned Rothenberg’s loyalty to the U.S. because of her Jewish heritage had more than four million views on X. Another post that called out Manheimer’s faith racked up nearly 13 million views on the platform. The findings are the latest indication of just how widespread and entrenched the misinformation surrounding the natural disaster has been, with officials of both major political parties denouncing the false statements and rumors, describing them as dangerous. Misinformation surrounding Helene has also become tinged with threats of violence. A post on X that falsely purported to show footage of a FEMA director being “beaten” had more than 267,000 views, the report states. A correction was added to the footage, clarifying that no such beating had occurred, but it still continued to gain traction, with some users sharing it as a “warning” to other officials.