Social Media Platform ‘Gab’ Spews Rabid Jew Hatred, Inspired Pittsburgh Synagogue Massacre

CEO of social media platform ‘Gab,’ favored by neo-Nazi behind Pittsburgh synagogue massacre, takes aim at ‘Judeo-Bolshevik’ society.

By The Algemeiner

The CEO of Gab, the social media platform used by the neo-Nazi gunman behind the worst antisemitic atrocity in American history to announce his deed, fired off a series of his own antisemitic tweets this week.

Andrew Torba — whose social media platform has been embraced by neo-Nazi and far right groups — embarked on an antisemitic tirade on Tuesday using Gab’s account on Twitter.

“We’re building a parallel Christian society because we are fed up and done with Judeo-Bolshevik one,” Torba declared, invoking an antisemitic trope traditionally pushed by the far right which holds that communism is a Jewish plot.

Torba also tweeted a lurid graphic of a serpent with multiple heads each of which were marked with the far-right’s most hated targets, including “Judaism,” “Islam,” “Liberalized Christianity,” “Atheism” and “Marxism.”

Another tweet shared a cartoon that mocked the term “Judeo-Christian.” Alluding to the crucifixion of Jesus, the cartoon showed a nail labeled “Judeo” followed by second drawing of a bleeding, upturned palm with a nail through it that was labeled “Christian.”

The Gab platform was the site of numerous postings by Robert Bowers, the gunman who carried out the Oct. 27, 2018 massacre at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life Synagogue in which 11 worshipers were murdered.

Minutes before he began his killing spree, Bowers took to Gab to declare: “I can’t sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics, I’m going in.”

Among his victims at the Tree of Life synagogue were a 97-year-old woman, two brothers in their 50s and a married couple in their 80s. Two civilians and five police officers were wounded before Bowers, who was himself shot by police, eventually surrendered.

Jonathan Greenblatt — the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) — said on Twitter on Thursday that Torba’s antisemitic outburst showed his “dedication to not only enabling hate on Gab, but also to amplifying it on other platforms.”

A recent report by the ADL highlighted how posts on Twitter frequently link to hate content on Gab. One link that was shared more than 200 times sent users to a video reviving the medieval “blood libel,” which falsely alleged that Jews used the blood of Christians in religious rituals.

Gab’s account disappeared from Twitter shortly after Torba’s screed. It remains unclear whether the account was removed for violating Twitter’s terms of service, or whether Torba himself took it down.