Young people tearing down Israeli hostage signs and launching waves of anti-Israel demonstrations say they are being fueled by thousands of pro-Palestinian videos, mainly on TikTok and Instagram.
Tearing down signs and praising those who do so has become a trend since Hamas terrorists took 240 Israelis hostage during their terrorist attack on Israel on October 7.
More than a dozen protesters interviewed by The Post in Manhattan said their views on the war between Israel and Hamas were shaped primarily by Instagram and TikTok accounts and, to a lesser extent, by their school teachers.
They were at a rally Thursday attended by at least 2,000 people, many of them under 30 who had skipped school to join the anti-Israel spectacle.
Zara Asif, 17, who came with her classmate Manoor Javed, 16, from New Utrecht High School in Bensonhurst, said they were both inspired to attend pro-Palestinian protests in the Northeast and Washington, D.C., by watching videos of TikTok and Instagram.
Adama, 17, follows Palestinian journalists reporting from the ground in Gaza on TikTok. Stefano Giovannini Zara Asif, 17, and Manoor Javed, 16, from Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, said what they see inspires and galvanizes them for the pro-Palestinian cause. on TikTok and Instagram.Stefano Giovannini
Asif said the images she sees on social media drive her to act.
“They are posting pictures of babies with their skulls and brains dripping,” Asif said. “It is mainly (photos) of young children that come to light the most.”
War between Israel and Hamas: how we got here
2005: Israel unilaterally withdraws from the Gaza Strip more than three decades after seizing the territory from Egypt in the Six-Day War.
2006: The terrorist group Hamas wins the Palestinian legislative elections.
2007: Hamas takes control of Gaza in a civil war.
2008: Israel launches a military offensive against Gaza after Palestinian terrorists fire rockets at the city of Sderot.
2023: Hamas launches the biggest attack on Israel in 50 years, in an early morning ambush on October 7, firing thousands of rockets and sending dozens of militants into Israeli cities.
The terrorists killed more than 1,400 Israelis, wounded more than 4,200 and took at least 200 hostage.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quick to announce: “We are at war” and promised that Hamas would pay “a price it has never known.”
The Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry reported that at least 3,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 12,500 wounded since the war began.
Javed said her school prohibits them from talking about pro-Palestinian politics, and sometimes what she herself reposts on social media is deleted.
“But everyone is pushing and posting, and that’s how we’re going to make a difference,” Javed said. “We will not give up… ever.”
Ravia Sidhu, 18 (from India) and Zarif Islam, 19 (from Bangladesh), both American citizens, say they know people disparage TikTok videos about the war between Israel and Hamas, but they praise the video giant. social networks. Both attended Thursday’s rally.Stefano Giovannini
A 17-year-old girl who identified herself as Adama said she follows several Palestinian journalists who post from Gaza on TikTok.
“Places like CNN and other traditional media outlets don’t publish anything about it,” Adama told The Post. “It is something that cannot be denied. Children are being murdered and bombed. Humanitarian aid is not allowed to enter. “You can’t deny that.”
Ravia Sidhu, a student at St. John’s University, and her friend, Zarif Islam, 19, who attends CUNY, said they came to Thursday’s rally after what Sidhu said was “doing a lot of our own research.” “.
“While I know people say Oh TikTok might be giving a lot of misinformation, I also looked at CNN and The New York Times,” Sidhu told The Post. “I educated myself and everyone else should too.”
Joana Sa Dias, from Lisbon, said she is on social media “hour by hour” and “minute by minute” watching what is happening in the war between Israel and Hamas. Stefano Giovannini This is the type of content that young people find and share on Instagram and TikTok, as they claim to “do their own research.” They ignore the “mainstream” media, fueling a spiral of sign-tearing and anti-Israel protests. Calla Walsh
Michelle Ahdoot, director of End Jew Hatred, said she doesn’t think the young people who tear down the signs and attend the protests (most appear to be under 30) are really aware of what they are doing.
“Many of them wouldn’t be able to point to Israel on a map,” Ahdoot told the Post. “I think a lot of this comes from ignorance. “They have been brainwashed into thinking they are doing something in the name of social justice.”
How celebrities, schools and companies have reacted to the Hamas terrorist attack against Israel
Liora Rez, executive director of Stop Antisemitism, blames Hamas-sponsored propaganda at the university level (in addition to social media) for the destruction of signs and the ongoing demonstrations.
“Taking down these hostage signs is not only sinister in itself, but it shows solidarity with a terrorist organization whose sole mission is to eradicate the Jewish people,” Rez said.
Although there are many pro-Israel videos on TikTok and other social media, they appear to be less popular than pro-Palestinian ones.
A non-binary person who identified themselves as “Mel” was seen arguing with an older man after he tried to stop Mel from tearing down Israeli hostage signs outside a pro-Palestinian rally Thursday in Bryant Park. Dana Kennedy for New York Mail
The top result for the search phrase “support Palestine” had been viewed nearly 3 billion times as of October 26, while the top result for “support Israel” was viewed just over 200 million times. according to an analysis.
TikTok’s own data showed a similar gap in the US, with more than twice as many posts using the hashtag #StandwithPalestine as posts with #StandwithIsrael over the past two weeks, Axios reported.
Supermodels Gigi and Bella Hadid, whose billionaire father is Palestinian and who have advocated for the Palestinian cause for years, have a combined 140 million followers on Instagram, and celebrities such as Mark Ruffalo, Dua Lipa, Jenna Ortega and rapper Macklemore, among others have repeatedly expressed concern about the Palestinian cause on social media.
Sebastian Grant, 30, is a professor and pro-Palestinian activist who compared pro-Palestinian social media accounts to the same type of online activism that fueled the Arab Spring.Stefano Giovannini
At Thursday’s protest, the radicalization of youth was evident when a 23-year-old non-binary protester gave his name when Mel confronted a man who tried to stop the protester from tearing down hostage signs.
“These are propaganda posters that do not take into consideration the thousands and thousands (of Palestinians) killed so far,” Mel told The Post. “How are Israel’s bombs going to help these hostages?”
Follow the Post’s coverage of Israel’s war against Hamas
Some compared the rise in anti-Israel sentiment to the Arab Spring of 2011, when Twitter and Facebook encouraged protesters to confront oppressive regimes across the Middle East.
“I think social media has played a role, you saw the same thing with the Arab Spring,” Sebastian Grant, 30, said at the rally. “That started growing 10 years ago and now you’re seeing the same thing.”
Calla Walsh, 19 (left), has worked on behalf of several progressive organizations despite her age, but said she is now focused on Palestine Action US, a group she co-founded.Calla Walsh Walsh shared a photo of a T -shirt with anti-Israel sentiments on his Instagram account. Calla Walsh Walsh has been a political activist for over three years. Calla Walsh
“I’m literally on Instagram hour after hour watching the minute-by-minute updates on how they’re reporting on the bombing and the situation in the hospitals,” Joana Sa Dias, 25, who said she is originally from Lisbon but now lives in New York. “She has opened my eyes.”
Anti-Israel influencers posting on Instagram and TikTok have gained followers since the Hamas massacres.
Among them is Calla Walsh, 19, of Cambridge, Massachusetts.
She is one of the youngest and fiercest behind-the-scenes anti-Israel agitators, founding organizer of Palestine Action USAand his videos garnered 158 million views on TikTok.
Among its causes: encouraging its followers to tear down posters.
Many young protesters covered their faces and hid their names for fear of doxxing, retaliation and discrimination for their pro-Palestinian stance. Stefano Giovannini Many of the younger protesters at the demonstration wore keffiyeh scarves in solidarity with the Palestinians. Stefano Giovannini
“Anyone with a good conscience should tear down these atrocity propaganda posters, which repeat proven lies about Hamas killing babies and raping women to generate hysteria and justify Israel’s genocide of Palestine,” Walsh told The Post.
“If we want to talk about hostages, let’s talk about how Israel is bombing to death its own ‘hostages’ in Gaza instead of negotiating a peace. The real hostages are the 2 million Palestinians trapped in Gaza, the 10,000 Israel has killed in the last month, and the thousands upon thousands more trapped under the rubble.”
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Source: vtt.edu.vn