Comedian Sacha Baron Cohen has accused TikTok of promoting and fueling antisemitism on its platform. “What is happening at TikTok is it is creating the biggest antisemitic movement since the Nazis,” Cohen said during a virtual meeting with TikTok executives on Wednesday. The meeting was attended by fellow celebrities, including Debra Messing and Amy Schumer, as well as more than a dozen Jewish content creators, who expressed their concerns over the prevalence of antisemitic content on the app.
The discussion, which lasted for 90 minutes, centered around the recent flood of antisemitic posts on TikTok. Users have been posting comments praising late al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and justifying the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. In some videos, the content creators can be seen promoting the “Letter to America” written by bin Laden, in which he claims responsibility for the 9/11 attacks and expresses his anti-Jewish sentiments.
Cohen, known for his satirical character “Borat,” criticized TikTok for its lack of action in curbing antisemitism on the platform. He accused the app of being responsible for “the biggest antisemitic movement since the Nazis” and urged the executives to take immediate action. The British star also pointed out the impact of exposure to antisemitic content on young minds, referring to how images and messages can shape the beliefs of children from a young age.
During the meeting, Messing, who has more than 37,000 followers on TikTok, also spoke out against the prevalence of the phrase “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” This phrase has been deemed antisemitic by the Anti-Defamation League, and many users have been posting it in comments, regardless of the content of the video. TikTok’s head of operations, Adam Presser, responded by saying that the use of the phrase is up for interpretation by moderators.
“Shame on you”: Sasha Baron Cohen goes against TikTok. Alongside the actresses Debra Messing and Amy Schumer, and others from the world of culture, the Jewish-British actor and comedian Sacha Baron Cohen met with Tiktok executives. Cohen accused the app of “creating the largest… pic.twitter.com/RgslMqeiid
— Eli Dror (@edrormba) November 17, 2023
The tense virtual meeting came after an open letter was sent to TikTok by Jewish users, including Messing and Schumer, decrying the rampant antisemitism on the platform. The letter accused TikTok of lacking critical safety features to protect Jewish content creators and users. It also stated that the current situation on the app “isn’t just ‘digital harassment’,” and that there are real-world implications of allowing antisemitic content to thrive on TikTok.
TikTok has since responded to the accusations, saying that it has removed almost a million videos related to the conflict between Israel and Palestine and is actively investigating how the pro-bin Laden content ended up on its platform. A spokesperson for the company also denied that the bin Laden-related content had gone viral. However, despite these claims, videos of Gen Z users promoting the letter and praising bin Laden have racked up hundreds of thousands of views.
In a statement, TikTok executives said they are “meeting with creators, civil society, and human rights experts to listen to their experiences and feedback on how TikTok can remain a place for community, discovery, and sharing authentically.” They also acknowledged that “this is an incredibly difficult and fearful time for millions of people around the world and in our TikTok community.”
As the meeting and the open letter demonstrate, the Jewish community remains concerned about the prevalence of antisemitism on TikTok and the platform’s response to it. It remains to be seen whether the app will take stronger actions to eliminate antisemitic content and create a safer environment for its users.
