If you were hoping that the users of Gab, the breeding ground social network for the alt-right where Pittsburgh shooter Robert Bowers posted a stream of anti-Semitic content until just hours before he killed 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue, were just posturing and would be horrified to see how the platform’s words translated into action, then congratulations: You’ve survived two years of the Trump era without becoming nearly cynical enough.
Less than a day after news of the attack broke, many were celebrating on the platform. One user, Brett Stevens, posted a poll with the “#treeoflifeshooting” hashtag, asking, “What should the future of Jewish people in the West be?” The answers were disturbing, with 35 percent voting for “genocide[.]”
Genocide was only the second most popular answer. The first was “repatriation.” It’s not clear where Gab users expect more than 5 million American Jews to go, but that’s probably not their top concern.
That’s not all:
User Brett Stevens also posted another poll asking, “Do you support the Pittsburgh synagogue shooter, Robert Bowers?” Almost 25 percent said they did. Commenting on the poll, one user said, “As long as Jews support the indiscriminate genocide of my race, fuck yeah I do.” Another stated, “Robert Bowers literally did nothing wrong.”
Do not lie to yourself, do not let anyone lie to you, and do not let anyone lie in your presence about how evil and violent the American far right is.
Get out the vote: Find an event near you.