In recent months, Chinese internet users have been expressing support for Hamas, a group classified as a terrorist organization by the US and other nations. The Voice of America (VOA) reported that individuals on platforms like Bilibili, a Shanghai-based video-sharing website, and other Chinese social media sites have been posting caricatures of Hamas fighters and even dressing up like them.
Some social media users went as far as sharing pictures and videos of themselves dressed as Hamas fighters, brandishing knives and rifles. VOA discovered that a man posing as a Hamas fighter in a video was actually a YouTuber on Bilibili. These posts, appearing daily, reflect a belief among some in China that Hamas is engaged in a justifiable national liberation war.
Despite China’s laws prohibiting the dissemination of information on extremism and violence on the internet, VOA found several videos on Bilibili portraying Hamas in a favorable light. The content depicts Hamas as valiant and skilled fighters, with comments in the section expressing admiration for the group’s actions.
The surge in strong antisemitic attitudes and overwhelming sympathy for the Palestinian side in the wake of the Israel-Hamas conflict in October has caught the attention of observers. However, Dutch Sinology researcher Manya Koetse noted a decrease in antisemitic remarks on the Chinese internet following a meeting between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden in mid-November.
Despite the Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin’s statement reaffirming the prohibition of disseminating extremist and discriminatory information online, the presence of pro-Hamas content persists on Chinese platforms. Some social media users even drew parallels between the Chinese Communist Party’s WWII counteroffensive against the Japanese and Hamas’s attacks on the Israeli army.
The situation highlights the complex interplay of international politics, online expression, and public sentiment, with individuals in China using social media to express their views on a conflict taking place thousands of miles away.
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