Antisemitic conspiracy theories spread after attempted flydubai hijacking
Conspiracy theories about the attempted flydubai hijacking spread within hours, invoking antisemitic tropes despite passenger accounts.
A young girl on a flydubai flight witnessed a co-pilot attacking the pilot with an axe. Passengers, armed only with luggage, managed to regain control of the plane and save the pilot's life. This shocking scenario quickly surfaced on social media, sparking a wave of conspiracies. Some claimed the incident never occurred, while others accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of staging it to divert attention from the Gaza conflict.
Many invoked antisemitic tropes, blaming Jews for the alleged incident. Researchers documented thousands of hostile posts within hours, with at least 30,000 likes and over 3 million views in just 12 hours. Social media platforms, increasingly open in their free speech policies, struggled to control the spread of misinformation. Agitators, possibly from Russia or Qatar, set up bot networks to amplify the conspiracy theories.
Experts noted the public's desire for answers and the tendency to blame familiar scapegoats, such as Jews, in the face of inexplicable events.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
