Ofcom investigating social media removal of antisemitic content after Manchester synagogue attack
Dame Melanie Dawes, Ofcom’s chief executive, says 'enforcement action could be taken'
Ofcom has announced an investigation into how major social media platforms handle the removal of illegal hate content in the wake of a surge in online Jew-hate following the terrorist attack on the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation in Manchester.
The UK communications regulator stated: “Since the terrorist attack on the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue, we have kicked off a new compliance programme to determine whether the biggest social media companies have adequate systems and processes for assessing and swiftly removing illegal hate and terror material that has been reported to them.”
“By April 2026, Ofcom plans to complete a review of at least one major platform’s processes for removing illegal hate and terror content—including antisemitic and anti-Muslim material—and will consider formal enforcement action if significant compliance concerns are found.”
Dame Melanie Dawes, Ofcom’s chief executive, said: “If any significant compliance concerns are found, formal enforcement action could be taken against firms and would be made public.”
The investigation follows a letter from Joani Reid, Labour MP and Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) Against Antisemitism, who called on Ofcom last month to probe whether Elon Musk’s X platform is failing to comply with its obligations under the Online Safety Act.
The Act requires companies to remove hateful and extreme content once identified.
The letter, signed by 34 MPs and peers from Labour, Liberal Democrat, Green, Plaid Cymru, TUV, and Alliance parties, was prompted by research from the Centre for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH).
The CCDH’s analysis revealed disturbing replies to posts by prominent British Jews after the deadly attack in Manchester during Yom Kippur in October, including messages celebrating the killings and inciting further violence against Jews.
Reid commented: “No online platform gets a pass for tackling anti-Jewish racism. For too long, X has been a source of abuse and hate.
“We are calling on Ofcom to use every power available to it, to take action and hold the platform to account for breaches of our online safety laws.”
Ofcom has so far focused on children’s online safety since the Online Safety Act came into force earlier this year.
However, there are increasing indications that the regulator is now prioritising illegal hate speech.
Dawes added:“We agree that this requires a firm response. Evidence of illegal terror and hate content remaining on major platforms after it has been reported to them suggests that content moderation processes need to improve.”
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