At Muslims Against Antisemitism (MAAS), we unequivocally condemn all forms of antisemitism and remain deeply shocked and disappointed by both the antisemitic abuse perpetuated by British rapper Wiley and the failure of Twitter authorities to adequately respond to the series of antisemitic and violent tweets sent over a recent 48 hour period, commencing on the 24th July 2020.
Antisemitism is an increasing threat globally and we cannot and must not allow such abuse to go unchecked and platformed to the detriment of Jewish communities. It also seems that there is a creeping forgetfulness about the Holocaust and there are those who seek to deny it. Their actions are being amplified by social media platforms failing to take action against them.
We remain very concerned by Mr Wiley’s behaviour and lack of understanding of – and empathy towards – the grave issue of antisemitism and Jewish communities. Likewise, we are deeply worried about the failure of Twitter to remove antisemitic material and to take action regarding Mr Wiley’s account, when his tweets are accessible to such a wide range of followers. The material in question promoted a range of antisemitic conspiracy theories and tropes and advocated for the violent murder of our Jewish brothers and sisters.
We are saddened that such behaviour continues to occur and is not being adequately shut down. We therefore call on Twitter to take swift action and address and review their policies regarding hate speech on their platforms. We also call on all members of the public to join us in standing by our Jewish brothers and sisters during this immensely upsetting and troubling time. The Jewish community deserves better.
Change must happen and swiftly. Enough is enough.
#NoToAntisemitism #NoSafeSpaceForJewHate
Supported by:
Ghanem Nuseibeh – Chair of Muslims Against Antisemitism,
Fiyaz Mughal OBE – Founder and Trustee – MAAS
Elizabeth Arif-Fear – Trustee – MAAS
Wasiq Wasiq – Trustee – MAAS