Report warns of coordinated disinformation after London attack on Jewish ambulances

A new study has revealed a surge of antisemitic responses from Australian social media users following a suspected terrorist attack on Jewish emergency vehicles in London.

The report, released today and titled “Australian responses to the attack on London ambulances”, analyses reactions to a Facebook post by the “Australian Financial Review” about the firebombing of four Hatzolah ambulances in Golders Green on 23 March 2026.

The findings show how quickly conspiracy theories and disinformation can take hold, even after an attack on a volunteer medical service that treats people of all backgrounds.

The incident occurred about 1.45 am when four ambulances belonging to Hatzolah (known as Hatzala in the UK), a Jewish-run charity providing free emergency medical care in north London, were set alight. Golders Green has a large Jewish population, and the London Metropolitan Police are treating the arson as an antisemitic hate crime.

Counter-terrorism officers are leading the investigation. A group calling itself Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya, linked to the Iranian regime, claimed responsibility via Telegram. The same group has previously claimed attacks on Jewish sites in the Netherlands and Belgium.

Experts from the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism in the Netherlands say the pattern points to Iranian hybrid warfare, combining physical attacks with coordinated online disinformation.

The “Australian Financial Review” reported the incident on 24 March and shared the article on Facebook. Within hours, reactions and comments surged. By 28 March, more than 5500 reactions had been recorded, with 71 per cent using the laughing emoji.

The report notes that this emoji is often used not to express humour but to mock or dismiss serious events involving Jewish victims.

Researchers analysed the first 523 comments posted within 10 hours. About 10 per cent had already been removed or deleted. Of the remaining comments, 261, more than half, were classified as antisemitic.

The most common theme, described as “atrocity distortion”, made up 68.6 per cent of the hateful content. These comments claimed the attack was staged by Israel or Mossad to frame Iran or justify military action.

Thirty per cent of all comments, 153 in total, directly blamed Israel or Mossad. A further 4 per cent accused the Jewish community itself, suggesting the ambulances were burned for insurance or other self-serving reasons.

Other themes included “atrocity denial”, with 13 per cent dismissing the attack as fake or propaganda. Traditional antisemitic tropes, such as claims of Jewish control of the media or responsibility for the death of Jesus, made up 10.3 per cent.

Some comments justified the attack as retaliation for Israeli actions, while others praised the violence or invoked Holocaust denial narratives.

The report says these patterns mirror responses seen after the 2025 Bondi Beach terror attack and synagogue arson attacks in Melbourne, where online campaigns sought to shift blame onto Jewish victims.

It argues that this is part of a deliberate Iranian-linked disinformation strategy. The tactic is described as DARVO, deny, attack, reverse victim and offender, a method used to invert reality and portray perpetrators as victims.

By flooding social media with false claims, the strategy aims to reduce public sympathy for Jewish communities, weaken responses to antisemitism and erode social cohesion.

The report notes that Hatzolah, founded in New York in 1965 and operating in the United Kingdom since 1979, provides emergency care to all, regardless of faith or ability to pay. Its volunteers were among the first responders at the Bondi attack.

The study calls on Meta to reverse its 2025 decision to scale back automated hate speech detection, which its own data shows led to a sharp drop in removals.

It also urges the Australian government to strengthen its Basic Online Safety Expectations and require platforms to address hate in comment sections. Media outlets are advised to disable comments where moderation is not possible and to train staff to identify antisemitism.

The report calls for a national strategy to counter foreign disinformation campaigns that weaponise social media. Suggested measures include public education, greater platform transparency and stronger action against coordinated inauthentic behaviour.

Dr Oboler said the findings highlight broader risks beyond child safety. “Unregulated social media is harming society more broadly by fuelling antisemitism and other forms of hate” warned Oboler.

He pointed to the proposed under-16 social media ban and recent court cases in the United States as signs of growing awareness, but said more action is needed. He added that the Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion should examine the issue closely.

The institute, Australia’s only specialist charity focused on online hate and extremism, has tracked these trends for more than a decade.

The full report is at: https://ohpi.org.au/london-ambulances/