Bell, Bacon Lead Bipartisan Letter Denouncing Inflammatory Content on Social Media Following Antisemitic Attacks
Washington, D.C.— Today, U.S. Representatives Wesley Bell (D-Mo.) and Don Bacon (R-Neb.) led a letter with 41 bipartisan lawmakers in urging major social media companies to take immediate action against the rise of hate speech and incitement to violence on their platforms following two recent antisemitic attacks.
The letter follows recent antisemitic attacks—one in Washington, D.C., and another in Boulder, Colorado—that drew national attention not only for their brutality, but for the wave of hate filled online commentary that followed. Social media platforms were quickly flooded with posts and comments glorifying the violence, spreading antisemitic conspiracy theories, and praising the alleged attacker. The letter was also endorsed by the ADL (Anti-Defamation League) and the American Jewish Committee (AJC).
“For far too long, social media platforms have allowed harmful messages, hashtags, and conspiracy theories to fester and proliferate online, targeting different communities. Following Meta’s decision earlier this year to roll back its trust and safety policies, one estimate noted this could lead to individuals encountering at least 277 million more instances of hate speech and other harmful content each year on its platforms. Since these changes, on Facebook alone, Jewish Members of Congress have experienced a fivefold increase of antisemitic harassment on the platform,” wrote the lawmakers.
“Failing to meaningfully curb hate speech, including antisemitic mis- and disinformation, and allowing antisemitic incitement to violence has real-world impacts, as unfortunately was the case in Washington, D.C. on May 21, 2025. In the aftermath of this horrific attack, we have already seen what appears to be a skyrocketing number of antisemitic conspiracy theories accusing the attack of being a “false flag” operation — an abhorrent narrative scapegoating Jews for being targeted by acts of hatred and terrorism, falsely claiming the attack was staged by Israel or the Jewish community for sympathy or to entangle the United States in Middle Eastern conflicts,” continued the lawmakers.
“This is not merely a matter of policy enforcement but one of public safety and national security. We regard the unchecked spread of pro-terror content, extremist symbolism, and incitement to violence as a direct threat to U.S. national security and public safety. The murders of Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky are a stark and tragic reminder of the urgent need for reforms to ensure that any form of support for terrorism and incitement to violence are effectively identified and removed from your platforms without hesitation. It is critical that social media companies do not allow coded praise of violence or hate speech to flourish unchecked, as this only encourages others to engage in similar acts,” concluded the letter.
“Over the past two weeks, the Jewish community has endured horrific and unconscionable acts of antisemitic violence in both Washington, D.C. and Boulder,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL CEO and National Director. “Let’s be clear: words have consequences. When antisemitic rhetoric is normalized, tolerated, or amplified, it fuels an environment where violence against Jews becomes normalized. We’ve seen this play out across digital platforms like Meta, TikTok and X, where hate too often has gone unchecked. We’re grateful to Reps. Bell and Bacon for leading this important bipartisan effort to ensure these platforms are not being used to incite real-world violence.”
"Over the past few months, the worst fears of the American Jewish community have become a tragic reality. Two people were assassinated in our nation’s capital - gunned down after leaving an American Jewish Committee (AJC) event at a Jewish museum. In the streets of Boulder, Colorado, multiple people were injured, some lit on fire, at an event focused on the most basic of human rights - freedom from captivity. Immediately after, celebration of these attacks occurred on all major social media platforms. We must acknowledge that antisemitic and anti-Zionist language is dangerous, and when left unchecked, can be deadly. Social media companies have an obligation to do more to prevent dangerous content from proliferating online. AJC appreciates Representatives Wesley Bell (D-MO) and Don Bacon (R-NE) for leading the charge in creating greater transparency in how social media companies are handling rampant antisemitism on their platforms," said Ted Deutch, CEO of American Jewish Committee.
The letter was also signed by Representatives Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.), Julia Brownley (D-Calif.), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.), Gilbert Cisneros (D-Calif.), Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), Jim Costa (D-Calif.), Danny Davis (D-Ill.), Donald Davis (D-N.C.), Cleo Fields (D-La.), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), Lois Frankel (D-Fla.), Laura Friedman (D-Calif.), Laura Gillen (D-N.Y.), Daniel Goldman (D-N.Y.), Jonathan Jackson (D-Ill.), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), Greg Landsman (D-Ohio), Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.), Grace Meng (D-N.Y.), Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), Donald Norcross (D-N.J.), Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.), Chris Pappas (D-N.H.), Bradley Schneider (D-Ill.), Kim Schrier (D-Wash.), Brad Sherman (D-Calif.), Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.), Haley Stevens (D-Mich.), Marilyn Strickland (D-Wash.), Thomas Suozzi (D-N.Y.), Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.), Dina Titus (D-Nev.), Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.), Juan Vargas (D-Calif.), Marc Veasey (D-Texas), Eugene Vindman (D-Va.), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), Nikema Williams (D-Ga.), and Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.).
Read the full letter HERE.
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