Between August and October 2021, Moonshot identified numerous antisemitic conspiracy theories across incel platforms, encompassing a variety of tropes and slurs. In this analysis, we found these conspiracy theories incorporated antisemitic tropes typically derived from far-right ideology.

As we’ve previously defined this community in our “incel” symbols and terminology guide:

“Involuntary celibates (incels) are men who define themselves by their inability to form or access sexual relationships with women. They believe this is the combined result of genetic factors, evolutionarily determined traits in women, and inequitable social structures. Incels are predominantly interested in accessing sex with women”.

Incels frequently share and engage with conspiracy theories, and many users on incel platforms express sympathy for them. They often use these theories as broad-stroke explanations for their grievances, in particular their perceived lack of power and exclusion from society.

Incels tend to perceive themselves as “powerless”, “victimized” and “conspired against” from different directions and draw a strong distinction between the in-group and out-group. Some in the incel community perceive the powerful, victimizing out-group to be Jewish people.

Antisemitism is used as a vehicle to radicalize “youngcels”

The potential of incel forums for radicalizing incel users, especially young individuals, with antisemitic conspiracy theories evident in a thread identified by Moonshot from April 2021.

The original post was written by a self-identified “youngcel” (young incel) who expressed an interest in understanding why antisemitism was so prevalent on the platform and whether it was a “joke”.

Users responded with a high volume of antisemitic sentiment. One user recommended a neo-Nazi documentary and wrote that others on the forum had pushed him from being a conservative Trump supporter towards embracing antisemitic conspiracy theories. The “youngcel” responded positively to the antisemitic content in the thread and began to repeat the far-right antisemitic tropes that he had been exposed to.

In the thread, most comments contained an antisemitic slur, conspiracy theory, or the promotion of external antisemitic material. A small minority of incel users challenged far-right narratives, leading others to attack them and accuse them of being Jewish.

Some of the users promoting antisemitic conspiracy theories had profile pictures and bios indicating their support for far-right ideologies. These included swastikas, “Nazi runes” and an image of Norwegian far-right terrorist Anders Behring Breivik.

Conspiracy theories shared by incels overlap with extreme-right wing narratives

Antisemitic narratives among incel communities overlap considerably with antisemitic narratives shared by far-right communities. Incels who embrace these narratives sometimes identify themselves as “stormcels” or “altrightcels.” “Stormcels” is a reference to Stormfront, the oldest continuously running neo-Nazi forum. “Altrightcels” is a reference to the “alt-right” movement that was active roughly from 2008 to 2018.

Even though antisemitism and other far-right beliefs are not “core tenets” of inceldom, the normalization of these beliefs on incel platforms is a problematic trend and evidence of a wider overlap between subsets of incels and far-right communities.

Three notable antisemitic conspiracy theories propagated by incel communities online that overlap with far-right narratives are:

• Claims that Jewish people are behind progressive politics
• COVID-19 vaccination conspiracies
• “Demographic replacement” a.k.a the “great replacement”

Aversion to progressive social change such as the feminist movement and LGBTQ+ rights is common among incels. Incels tend to view such progressivism as an “existential threat” because of the perceived empowerment it gives to women and its threat to “traditional” monogamous heterosexual relationships.

However, a smaller subset of incels allege that “Jewish people” are responsible for these changes and therefore responsible for the “suffering” of incels. Some incels claim that a Jewish “elite” is promoting progressive causes to undermine the “traditional” family nexus, promote social dislocation and ultimately engineer the decline of the West. In these posts, incel communities also reference the antisemitic “Cultural Marxism” conspiracy theory used by far-right communities.

Antisemitic anti-vaccination conspiracies about “New World Order” and “Great Replacement”

The promotion of anti-vaccination narratives was prevalent across incel platforms and, among these narratives, there was a concerning vein of antisemitic conspiracy theories. Incels incorporated antisemitic slurs into the word “vaccine” and used the far-right (((echo))) to allege some clandestine “Jewish involvement” in the vaccine roll-out. Several users claimed that “vaccine passports” and other schemes to boost vaccine uptake were implemented because the pharmaceutical companies are supposedly “Jewish-owned” and benefit financially from mandatory vaccinations. The allegation of Jewish control of “Big Pharma” and other industries is well established in far-right communities.

Incel communities also employed Jewish “puppet master” tropes when alleging that the COVID-19 vaccine was part of a system of control orchestrated by “globalists”; a term closely associated with the antisemitic “New World Order” conspiracy. A significant number of users took the NWO theory further, claiming that vaccination is a method of global “depopulation” prior to the initiation of a “world government”. In discussions regarding Israel’s high vaccination rate, users alleged that a Jewish elite were using the country as a sacrifice for their ambitions.

In discussions about immigration and diversity, parts of the incel community drew on the “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory, popular among far-right communities. These incels claimed that there is a Jewish conspiracy to encourage non-white immigration to majority-white Western countries in order to bring about their downfall.

Incels who embrace this conspiracy theory regard immigration to the West as a threat to Western incels’ position in the “sexual marketplace.” In this context, they see the introduction of more men into the “dating pool” in their countries as a potential threat to their ability to find sexual partners.

Conclusion

Moonshot’s focus on antisemitic conspiracy theories in incel discussions across platforms identified a concerning blend of far-right and incel narratives, where some incels had channeled their frustrations and feelings of “powerlessness” toward Jewish people. Antisemitic conspiracy theories on incel platforms included, but were not limited to, claims that a Jewish elite had played some manipulative role in the development of progressive politics; the use of the COVID-19 vaccine as a tool of global domination; and being responsible for the so-called “Great Replacement.” The prevalence of such narratives in spaces frequented by vulnerable/at-risk men is especially concerning and represents an additional challenge to responding to the threat of targeted incel violence and harassment.