Washington, September 18: A new study warns that anti-Indian racism on X (formerly Twitter) surged dramatically this summer, with immigration-focused narratives and incident-driven hate posts amassing more than 281 million views.
The Washington-based Centre for the Study of Organised Hate (CSOH) says the platform has become a fertile ground for xenophobia, exposing Indian and South Asian communities in the United States to heightened risks of harm.
Between July and early September, hostile narratives portraying Indians as “job stealers” and unwanted migrants dominated discourse on X, according to the report, Anti-Indian Racism on X: Causes, Trends, and Narratives, released on Tuesday by CSOH.
Researchers found 680 high-engagement posts aimed at Indians or those perceived to be of Indian origin. Collectively, those posts generated 281.2 million views. The study highlights how online animosity intensified in August, coinciding with the US–India tariff dispute and a widely publicised truck crash in Florida involving a Sikh driver.
Nearly 70 per cent of the posts, accounting for more than 111 million views, framed Indians as “invaders” or “job thieves,” often calling for deportations, visa denials, or the denaturalisation of Indian Americans. Researchers found that resentment toward H-1B visa holders — the majority of whom are Indian technology workers — was a central driver of online vitriol.
“Anti-Indian racism online is part of a larger ecosystem of far-right hate, xenophobia, and disinformation that thrives on social media platforms,” said Rohit Chopra, co-author of the report and a professor at Santa Clara University.
The rhetoric frequently borrowed from the so-called Great Replacement Theory, presenting Indians as displacing white populations in Western countries. CSOH notes that such narratives cloak racism in the language of “protecting jobs” and “preserving national security.”
On August 12, a fatal crash in Fort Pierce, Florida, involving Sikh truck driver Harjinder Singh, became a flashpoint online. Posts linked to the incident drew nearly 95 million views, the report found.
Far-right accounts used the tragedy to call for bans on Sikhs and Indians from truck driving, portraying them as reckless and unfit. The incident, the report argues, exemplifies how isolated events can be weaponised to stigmatise entire communities through occupational scapegoating.
Another cluster of posts relied on slurs and memes to normalise anti-Indian hostility. Researchers tracked 121 posts employing terms like “pajeet” or mocking Indian accents and hygiene. Together, these posts attracted 74.3 million views.
“These narratives have real-world consequences: they embolden violent extremist groups and heighten the risk of physical harm to target communities,” said Raqib Hameed Naik, CSOH’s executive director. “X and other social media platforms have both the responsibility and the tools to intervene, yet they have repeatedly fallen short.”
The surge in anti-Indian racism unfolded against a volatile political backdrop. In August, the report noted, the Trump administration imposed a 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods, citing unfair trade practices and India’s continued purchases of Russian oil.
The dispute inflamed nationalist rhetoric on both sides and coincided with a fivefold increase in anti-Indian hate posts compared with July, it said.
CSOH situates the United States as the epicentre of this digital racism, with 65 per cent of the dataset linked to American debates over immigration, jobs, and trade. But similar narratives also appeared in Canada, the UK, Australia, and Europe, often folded into broader anti-immigrant discourse.
The report ends with seven recommendations urging platforms to act more decisively against racist content. They include:
- updating recognition of South Asia–focused racial slurs;
- barring repeat offenders from premium services;
- banning monetisation of extremist content;
- leveraging transparency reports and community notes;
- supporting counter-speech initiatives that challenge harmful narratives.
The authors warn that without meaningful enforcement, social media platforms risk amplifying prejudice into real-world violence.
“The Indian-American population in the United States numbers more than five million, with over a million still waiting in the green card backlog,” the report notes. “This combination of visibility and vulnerability renders the community uniquely at risk in an atmosphere where anti-minority sentiment is on the boil.”
