Antisemitic Conspiracies Surface on X Following FlyDubai Flight Incident
A new CAM study reveals that antisemitic conspiracy theories blaming Israel for a FlyDubai hijacking attempt spread on X just 67 minutes after the incident.
Antisemitic Conspiracies Emerge Hours After FlyDubai Incident
Just one hour after the attempted hijacking of a FlyDubai flight en route to Tel Aviv, antisemitic conspiracy theories began spreading rapidly on the X platform, claiming the incident was an Israeli "false flag" operation. This finding comes from a new study by the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM), which examined social media discourse in the hours following the event.
According to the research conducted by CAM's Antisemitism Research Center (ARC), the first post promoting this conspiracy theory appeared a mere 67 minutes after the aircraft transmitted its initial distress signal. The volume of discourse surged quickly, with researchers documenting 1,000 hostile posts within five hours of the security incident.
Over a 12-hour monitoring window, a total of 2,963 distinct posts attributed the event to Israel, the Mossad, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, "zionists," or Jews. ARC researchers noted that the speed of dissemination suggests a pre-existing narrative deployed rapidly following breaking news, mirroring influence operations typically managed by hostile states.
"The dizzying speed at which this antisemitic plot was disseminated proves that this was not a spontaneous reaction to an event, but rather a pre-written script waiting in a drawer for a favorable moment," said Sacha Roytman, CEO of the Combat Antisemitism Movement.
French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot addressed the near-disaster, praising the courage of the pilot and crew. The ongoing investigation aims to shed full light on the severe security incident as digital platforms face mounting pressure to curb automated antisemitic rhetoric.
