14/07/2025
"Social media algorithms ensure that antisemitism and other hateful content spreads rapidly. This must stop," was the message from EU Antisemitism Coordinator Katharina von Schnurbein during the conference on the role of social media in rising antisemitism in Europe and religious persecution worldwide, organized by Miriam Lexmann and Bert-Jan Ruissen as co-chairs of the Intergroup on Freedom of Religion, Belief and Conscience.
Von Schnurbein also stated that a huge increase in online antisemitism was already measured on October 7, 2023, even before the Israeli army responded to the attacks. The EU Coordinator on Combating Antisemitism said social media platforms must adjust their algorithms. "Unfortunately, antisemitism and other hate sells. With the new EU Digital Services Act, these platforms are obliged to prevent hate speech and to report how they manage this."
Other organizations, including Open Doors, Mensen met een Missie and Search for Common Ground, also spoke at the conference. The speakers pointed out that in Kenya, for example, terrorists are recruiting through social media. In India, the government, on the other hand, turns a blind eye, while social media facilitates widespread Christian hatred. This has also led to a call on Facebook to kill Christians in February 2025. At the same time, social media also offers the opportunity to highlight freedom of religion as a human right, and some organizations have already used social media as a tool to spread tolerance.
