A flood of coded antisemitism is reaching millions of British web users on one of the world’s biggest online platforms, the JC can reveal.
The hate content appearing on the hugely popular discussion website Reddit is successfully disguised as memes (humorous pictures or video) so that only a tiny fraction is removed by moderators.
One image invoking antisemitic conspiracy theories shows a red pill bearing the words “it’s the Jews”. Another depicts a dog with an elongated nose and yarmulke to promote white supremacy.
Only a small fraction of antisemitic memes found on Reddit were moderated out.
The material had all found its way onto the platform after first appearing on the humour website 9gag.
An anti-Jewish meme from 9gag that was shared on Reddit and X (APT)[Missing Credit]
The findings come in a new report from the Antisemitism Policy Trust (APT) warning that the Online Safety Act is unable to deal with the astonishing quantity of anti-Jewish hate on mainstream social media.
The research by the APT with Barcelona-based Jewish cultural platform Mozaika reveals how smaller online platforms are breeding grounds for antisemitic content which then floods the mainstream.
Labour MP Joani Reid, chair of the antisemitism all-party parliamentary group, called the report’s findings “shocking” and urged that the law be changed to deal with “small high-harm sites”.
The report’s researchers followed 535 antisemitic memes that first appeared on 9gag, which has seven million visits from the UK every month.
A staggering 99 per cent of the content later appeared on Reddit, which has around 27 million users in the UK.
Almost all the posts on Reddit – 97 per cent – were found to have been shared multiple times.
The report says much of the content evades detection because it relies on cryptic messaging rather than overt language, while the moderators are also outgunned by the speed and volume of recirculation. Some posts simply bear the disclaimer “no antisemitism” to avoid moderator scrutiny.
Content moderation is avoided as the memes do not generally mention any ethnic groups by name (APT)[Missing Credit]
In an example of “coded and insider language” cited by the report, one image highlighted depicts a dog with an elongated nose wearing a yarmulke, opening a door, alongside the caption: “Hello, fellow labradors we should let the pitbulls in.”
APT’s analysis says this image invokes the far-right “great replacement” conspiracy theory combined with the antisemitic dual loyalty trope, suggesting Jews secretly orchestrate immigration to undermine “White Europe”.
The report explains: “The text and imagery of the meme is cryptic, and easily understood by people who already know its content, therefore showing that memes are not only used to promote conspiracies but also to increase cohesion of an in-group by rewarding viewers who are knowledgeable about it.”
Another meme format centres on a red pill – a reference to the film The Matrix used to signify an “awakening” to supposed hidden truths linked to incel and manosphere subcultures – with the words “it’s the Jews” printed over pills.
Many of the memes are explicitly antisemitic.
One post highlighted by researchers shows CNN employees with Stars of David next to their faces. Another features a painting by Adolf Hitler with the caption: “The author of this painting was not successful in the arts, but he was successful in the soap industry.”
Many of the posts proudly claim the status of being a racist (APT)[Missing Credit]
Crucially, these memes were found on trending pages rather than through targeted searches for Jew-hate. In 100 per cent of cases, antisemitic comments also appeared beneath the images.
When the JC searched specifically for antisemitic memes on 9gag, even more content surfaced.
Despite the site warning users “don’t be antisemitic”, examples included posts reading “Me and bro training to be even more antisemitic in 2026” and an image of a man stepping out of a car captioned: “Me pulling up to thanksgiving dinner knowing I am the racist antisemitic uncle now.” Pages of Holocaust denial and tropes about Jewish money and power are readily available.
Campaigners are now urging the government to intervene to prevent these posts from slipping through the net by introducing tougher moderation requirements. They say that special attention needs to be paid to “ironic humour, innuendo, ambiguous symbolism, and ‘just asking questions’” which undermine detection systems and make antisemitic ideas “socially acceptable”.
Nazi iconography is another key characteristic of the memes (APT)[Missing Credit]
A meme of the Nuremberg Trials with a dog dressed as a Nazi (APT)[Missing Credit]
The government’s Online Safety Act, rolled out in July 2025, was designed to curb online harm of the kind cited in the report.
But APT has criticised both UK and EU regulatory regimes as inadequate.
“By focusing primarily on platform size rather than demonstrated risk, they leave significant blind spots in the online safety system – gaps that extremists exploit,” APT said in the report.
The charity is calling for a new framework for online safety on smaller sites that would introduce human review for the worst content; remove recommendation boosts for known extremists; establish a cross-industry database of harmful content; offer tax benefits for “demonstrable improvements in safety standards”; impose penalties for repeated re-uploading of previously removed material; and deliver age-appropriate digital literacy education.
Joani Reid has backed the recommendations.
The MP said: “These shocking findings underline how it isn’t solely large online platforms that require address, but small, high-harm sites too. If we are to be successful at making a dent in online antisemitism, we must not be guided by the size of platforms but the risks they present. I support the Online Safety Act Network’s ten-point plan to improve the legislation and will work with them towards its implementation,” she said.
Magen Davids are placed next to dozens of CNN employees with a message stating, 'It's almost as if...' (APT)[Missing Credit]
Responding to the report, a Department for Science, Innovation and Technology spokesperson told the JC: “No one should ever feel unsafe or targeted because of who they are and tackling antisemitism online is a priority for this government.
“Under the Online Safety Act Illegal Duties, all platforms – regardless of size – must protect users from illegal content, including antisemitic material. They also have to protect children from harmful content.
“Ofcom has all our backing to use the full range of its powers – including fining and seeking court approval to blocking access to sites – if the people behind these platforms fail to comply.”
A spokesperson for Reddit said the company “vehemently condemns antisemitism and has strict rules and procedures to prevent and remove it. Hateful content, including antisemitism, is prohibited. In addition to community moderators, we have dedicated internal safety teams who use a combination of human review and sophisticated automated tooling to enforce our rules across the platform. As a result of our efforts, we removed 98,798 hateful posts and comments and banned 49 subreddits between January and June 2025 alone. We also work regularly with the APT, including doing training with our safety staff to recognise antisemitism.”
The spokesperson claimed that the red pill meme cited in the report had not been detected on Reddit.
9gag was approached for comment.
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