New Delhi: The surge in anti-Indian hate on X during the final weeks of 2024, fuelled by far-right supporters of President-elect Donald Trump opposing the H1B visa programme, has been described as “a form of organised, systematic hatred, fanned by powerful actors” and a sign of the dominance of white supremacist ideology on the platform, according to a new study.
The Washington-based think tank, Center for the Study of Organised Hate, released a report on Thursday analysing a surge of anti-Indian posts on X. The study reviewed 128 posts with the highest viewership, shared between December 22 and January 3.
According to the report, these posts amassed a total of 138.54 million views by January 3, with 36 posts exceeding one million views each. The posts originated from 85 accounts, 64 of which – accounting for three-fourths – were Premium accounts displaying blue verification badges.
The authors of the report observed that “given the fact that controversial, sensational, prejudiced, and hateful views receive more engagement, X’s business model has effectively incentivised hate speech, presenting it as an opportunity for monetization as well as for building fame and influence”
‘Posts violate X’s policies on hateful conduct but are still online’
The report noted that these posts violated X’s policies on hateful conduct, which prohibit activities such as “inciting fear or spreading fearful stereotypes about a protected category,” as well as the use of slurs, tropes, and dehumanising language.
However, the report found that all 125 posts were still online, with eight marked as sensitive and one having “limited visibility” due to potential rule violations. Furthermore, only one of the 85 accounts analysed in the report was suspended.
The hate campaign reportedly began after far-right Trump supporter Laura Loomer targeted Indian-Americans on X, following the appointment of Sriram Krishnan as an adviser on artificial intelligence to the incoming Trump administration.
The situation escalated when former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy criticised American culture for allegedly failing to produce enough skilled tech workers. X owner Elon Musk, a Trump ally, joined the online tiff by supporting the H1B visa program, noting that he himself had come to the US through this same program.
This led to a multi-day storm of hateful posts, which the report described as “an unequivocal and deeply troubling expression of anti-Indian racism.”
“With Musk and Trump both expressing support for the H1B program, the racism and hatred showed no signs of abating. If anything, it only ramped up in intensity and spread. While it may be easy to label such viral hatred as ‘spontaneous,’ the prominence of certain racist themes and tropes, along with their repeated affirmation, presents a compelling case for seeing it as a form of organised, systematic hatred, fanned by powerful actors,” the report stated.
The analysis highlighted that the “speed with which the distinction between legal or ‘good’ immigrants and ‘illegal’ or ‘bad’ immigrants collapsed in the discussion about Indians and H-1B visas on X is further affirmation of the clear presence of white supremacist ideology on X.”
Among the 128 sampled posts, the most viewed post, with 17.4 million views, was shared by the account @leonardaisfunE. It featured a video of a white man mimicking Indian street food vendors, with the user commenting that it was “the funniest shit” she had seen all year.
Another post by the account @callistoroll and viewed 12.3 million times, included a video in which a Japanese man described Indian factory workers as incompetent and stupid.
‘Perpetuated stereotypes about Indians’
Further analysis showed that 47 of the 128 posts expressed xenophobic sentiments about replacing white workers. Additionally, 35 posts perpetuated the stereotype of Indians being dirty and unhygienic, while 25 focused on public defecation, cow dung, and cow urine.
Some posts claimed that Indians were inferior to citizens of Western countries, particularly the United States. Many alleged that Indians had lower intelligence quotients compared not only to white people but also to other immigrant groups. Others juxtaposed images of the interior of a cathedral with Indian slums to promote the supposed superiority of Western civilization.
“The ranking of IQ among groups has a long history in the alt-right white movement: the obsession with IQ is rooted in longstanding eugenicist and social Darwinist ideas that claim that different races possess different IQs. White people are assumed to be at the top of the IQ ladder,” the report stated.
The report also noted that verbal attacks extended beyond Hindus of Indian or American origin, targeting all those perceived as being of Indian descent, including members of the Sikh community.