The identities of people who posted antisemitic messages on Twitter have been disclosed after a year-long legal row between the French Union of Jewish Students and the American social media site.

A Twitter spokesperson confirmed that the details of users who posted hate messages had been handed over to French authorities. It is not yet known how many users have been reported.

France's Union of Jewish Students and four human rights groups filed a complaint against Twitter last October after a wave of antisemitic hashtags and messages appeared on the site – including messages appearing under the hashtags ‘#unbonjuif’ and ‘#unjuifmort’ — meaning “a good Jew” and “a dead Jew”.

A Paris court ruled in March that Twitter should hand over data identifying those behind the hate tweets. Twitter appealed the decision, but last month the court upheld its original decision.

A Twitter spokesperson said: “Further to discussions between the parties and in response to a valid legal request, Twitter has provided the prosecutor of Paris, Presse et Libertés Publiques section of the Paris Tribunal de Grande Instance, with data that may enable the identification of certain users that the Vice-Prosecutor believes have violated French law."