Brief
US Online Hate Against South Asians Surges 240% in Two Years
The Center for the Study of Organized Hate found 43,843 hateful posts in June 2026, up from 12,904 in January 2024.
By Felo News Desk · Published
A report by the Center for the Study of Organized Hate (CSOH) shows that hate speech targeting Indians, Bangladeshis and Pakistanis on the social‑media platform X rose 240 percent between January 2024 and June 2026, from 12,904 posts to 43,843.
The CSOH study, titled “The Rising Tide of Anti‑South Asian Hate in the United States,” identified more than 542,000 hateful posts toward South Asians on X between January 2025 and June 2026 alone. Researchers used the United Nations definition of hate speech and excluded posts that did not meet that threshold.
Nearly half of the hate posts accused South Asians of invading the United States, stealing jobs or threatening the country demographically. The slur “pajeet” and its variants appeared in 30 percent of hateful posts on X and 45 percent on fringe platforms. Posts depicting South Asians as dirty or unhygienic grew by 171 percent on X, the fastest increase among all narratives.
The report links the surge to a mix of longstanding prejudice and recent political and economic pressures, including the H‑1B visa programme, which allows U.S. employers to hire skilled foreign workers and in which Indians account for more than 70 percent of holders.
Key facts
- Hate posts on X rose 240 percent from 12,904 in January 2024 to 43,843 in June 2026 (aljazeera.com)
- Over 542,000 hateful posts toward South Asians were identified on X between January 2025 and June 2026 (aljazeera.com)
- The slur “pajeet” appeared in 30 percent of hateful posts on X (aljazeera.com)
- Posts depicting South Asians as dirty or unhygienic grew by 171 percent on X (aljazeera.com)
- Indians make up more than 70 percent of H‑1B visa holders in the U.S. (aljazeera.com)
Sources
- [1] aljazeera.com — originally reported as “Anti-South Asian ‘hate speech’ has exploded online in US, report finds”
