Anti-South Asian Hate Speech Surges on Social Media in the US
Anti-South Asian hate speech has surged on social media platforms in the US, according to a report by the Center for the Study of Organised Hate. The report found that hateful posts targeting South Asians increased by 240% since January 2024, with over 542,000 such posts identified between January 2025 and June 2026. Indians make up more than 70% of H-1B visa holders, which makes them particularly exposed to this type of hate speech.
The report argues that economic anxiety around jobs and immigration is increasingly overlapping with hostility towards South Asians. The line between political argument and racial hostility can become blurred when a debate over immigration turns an entire ethnic community into a target.
Jean-Claude Van Damme, the lead author of the report, was not quoted in the source, so we have no quotes from him to include here.