Anti-South Asian hate on US social media surges 240%, Bangladeshis also targeted: report
Anti-South Asian hate speech on social media in the United States surged by 240% between January 2024 and June 2026, with Bangladeshis among the communities targeted, according to a new report by the Center for the Study of Organized Hate (CSOH).
The report, titled The Rising Tide of Anti-South Asian Hate in the United States, found that the monthly volume of hateful posts targeting South Asians on X increased from 12,904 in January 2024 to 43,843 in June 2026.
Researchers identified about 542,360 anti-South Asian hate posts on X between January 2025 and June 2026. Five of the six highest-volume months occurred between November 2025 and June 2026, the report said.
The study also examined hate across fringe platforms 4chan, 8chan and Gab, where researchers identified nearly 398,000 hateful mentions during 2025.
According to the researchers, 45% of anti-South Asian hate on X involved narratives portraying South Asians as “invaders”, job thieves or a demographic threat. The report also found that the slur “pajeet” and its variants appeared in about 30% of hateful posts on X, while posts depicting South Asians as dirty or unhygienic increased by 171%, the fastest-growing narrative identified in the study.
Bangladeshis targeted alongside other South Asians
The report said Bangladeshi-Americans form an integral part of the broader South Asian diaspora but are frequently subjected to xenophobic abuse that erases distinctions between national and ethnic identities.
Researchers found that online hostility often conflated Bangladeshis with Indians and Pakistanis, subjecting the communities to similar racial slurs and stereotypes. Anti-South Asian “invasion” and “Great Replacement” narratives also portrayed South Asian immigrants collectively as a demographic threat and as people taking jobs from Americans.
The report cited posts explicitly grouping people as “Paki, Indian or Bangladeshi” when directing racial abuse at them.
Bangladeshi-American public figures have also faced targeted attacks. The report specifically highlighted Virginia state Senator Saddam Azlan Salim, identifying him as a Bangladeshi-American and Muslim.
According to CSOH, Salim became a target of anti-South Asian and anti-Muslim attacks following legislation he introduced in 2026 addressing Islamophobia, assault-style firearms and cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. The backlash included accusations that he was attempting to impose “Sharia law”, attacks on his immigrant and Muslim background, and calls for him to be denaturalised and deported.
Immigration and economic tensions
Researchers linked the increase in online hate to several factors, including US immigration politics, economic anxiety and the growing visibility of South Asians in American political and social life.
The H-1B visa programme emerged as a major flashpoint, with the report noting that Indians accounted for more than 70% of H-1B visa holders. Researchers connected spikes in anti-South Asian rhetoric to political disputes surrounding the programme and immigration policy.
The report also examined rhetoric surrounding South Asians in US politics, noting that prominent figures from across the political spectrum — including Zohran Mamdani, Kamala Harris, Usha Vance, Vivek Ramaswamy and Saddam Salim — have faced racist or xenophobic attacks.
Researchers said the attacks increasingly portray South Asians as outsiders who cannot fully belong in the United States, while economic grievances are used to portray them as “job thieves” or beneficiaries of unfair immigration policies.
Social media and AI amplify abuse
The report found that social media has enabled targeted harassment, including doxxing of South Asians accused of taking American jobs or committing visa fraud. Researchers also documented cases in which influencers confronted South Asians at their homes or workplaces and posted the encounters online.
Generative artificial intelligence has further enabled the rapid production of racist images and videos, according to the report. Researchers said AI-generated content has portrayed South Asians as dirty, sexually predatory, culturally backward or a demographic threat.
The report also warned that online hostility does not exist separately from offline incidents. It documented cases of violence against South Asians and argued that online narratives, political rhetoric and real-world hostility can reinforce one another.
CSOH said the findings point to an increasingly interconnected ecosystem in which racial stereotypes, anti-immigration narratives, economic resentment and conspiracy theories are produced and amplified across digital platforms.