Baron Cohen commented on a video call between Jewish celebrities and TikTok executives. Photo: Paul Hackett/REUTERS
Actor Sacha Baron Cohen has accused TikTok of «creating the biggest anti-Semitic movement since the Nazis» as the video app denies accusations that it is fueling a torrent of abuse against Jews.
Baron Cohen said TikTok uploaded hateful images to young users telling TikTok executives, “Shame on you.”
His comments were made during a video call between Jewish celebrities and TikTok executives, organized by the video app in an attempt to defuse a growing anti-Semitic scandal.
“If you remember October 7, the reason Hamas was able to behead young men and rape women, was that they were fed images from when they were little children that made them hate,” Baron Cohen said in a phone call, according to the New York Times.
“The largest anti-Semitic movement since the Nazis is in the making on TikTok.”
The call comes after Jewish celebrities and influencers signed an open letter last week saying the app was “not safe for Jewish users.” .”
The app has been accused of not doing enough to stop Jewish support. Hamas propaganda and anti-Semitic content are distributed on its platform.
Criticism flared again this week after TikTok users began posting a letter written by Osama bin Laden 21 years ago under the hashtag #lettertoamerica.
The letter, published by the Observer magazine in 2002, explains the reason for the 11 attacks September and claims that the oppression of the Palestinian territories must be “revenged” by attacking “Americans and Jews.”
The Guardian, which posted the letter online, removed the anti-Semitic letter this week after it began to be «circulated widely on social media without full context.»
TikTok is fighting claims that the letter went viral on his platform. The company said clips with the hashtag #lettertoamerica have been viewed 13 million times on its platform, just a fraction of trending topics such as #travel, #skincare and #film.
A TikTok spokesperson said: “This is this not a trend,”
However, the company said it had removed the #lettertoamerica hashtag.
American comedian and actor Amy Schumer was also on Wednesday night's call. Photo: Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images North America
Wednesday night's call also included actors Amy Schumer and Will & Grace star Debra Messing.
TikTok executives Adam Presser and Seth Melnick represented the company on the conference call. Mr. Presser reportedly told Baron Cohen that there was «truth» in his comments that social media companies needed to do more.
A wave of anti-Semitism on social networking sites has led to renewed calls in the US to ban TikTok. The app is owned by Chinese technology company ByteDance, although the company has repeatedly said it is not under Beijing's influence.
Nikki Haley, the Republican presidential candidate, said Thursday: “Thousands of TikTok users support Osama bin Laden, who killed 3,000 Americans. This is a clear example of how our foreign enemies are poisoning social media to further their evil agenda.»
She added: «#BanTikTok. Stop giving the Chinese Communist Party the power to influence Americans.»
TikTok denies its algorithm influences impressionable users and says it has removed nearly a million videos related to the Israel-Hamas conflict. He argues that the number of pro-Palestinian posts on his platform reflects the fact that millennials are more likely to be sympathetic to the cause than previous generations.
A spokesman told the New York Times: “We recognize that. This is an incredibly difficult and scary time for millions of people around the world and for our TikTok community.
“Our leadership met with creators, civil society, human rights experts and stakeholders to listen to their experiences and feedback on how TikTok can remain a place for community, discovery and authentic sharing.”
Baron Cohen has long campaigned against anti-Semitism on social media and has in the past criticized Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook leadership, saying it promotes «propaganda.»
In addition, IBM said Thursday it had suspended advertising on Twitter. now known as X, after campaign group Media Matters said it discovered the company's ads were appearing next to pro-Nazi posts.
IBM said it had «paused all advertising on X while we investigate this completely unacceptable situation.»
Elon Musk, owner of X, wrote: “Media Matters is an evil organization.”
The European Commission separately stopped advertising on Twitter in response to what it said were “ widespread concerns about the spread of disinformation,» especially in relation to the war between Israel and Hamas.
The memo, published by Politico, instructs agencies to suspend advertising until further notice «to avoid risks of reputational damage to the Commission.» .
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