When Hate Goes Viral: Barstool Bar Incident Ignites Extremist Networks and Online Fundraising

This week, social media erupted over an antisemitic incident at a Philadelphia bar owned by media company Barstool Sports. The incident occurred Saturday night at Barstool Samson Street, where patrons filmed themselves celebrating with a sign reading “f— the Jews”. The incident quickly drew sharp backlash online, with many calling it out as a blatant display of antisemitism.

According to the Command Center, there have been over 100,000 online posts on this topic that have amassed over 1.37 billion impressions. Barstool founder Dave Portnoy—who is Jewish—responded swiftly, firing two employees involved in the incident and offering to send the patrons who requested the sign on an educational trip to Auschwitz in Poland. However, the offer was later rescinded after suspended Temple University student Mo Khan distanced himself from responsibility for the act, claiming he was merely a “citizen journalist” documenting the event.  

The incident took a dramatic turn when Khan, after declining the trip to Auschwitz, appeared on the Stew Peters Show, a far-right conspiracy platform hosted by a well-known antisemite, to defend his actions and downplay accusations of hate. Although Khan insisted he was not involved, he said that the sign elicited strong reactions because it reminded people of “all the unjust things Israel is doing around the world.”

On the show, not only did Khan defend his actions, but he also endorsed antisemitic conspiracy theories, including the need to fight “Jewish supremacy,” the accusation that Jews control others’ lives. Khan and Peters further escalated their rhetoric, using inflammatory language against the Jewish community and calling Portnoy a “filthy Jew.”  

Khan’s appearance sparked another surge of online condemnation, with many calling out his deepening embrace of antisemitic narratives. For example, Alan R. Levy wrote on X, “today I learned who Stew Peters is, and the fact that Mo Khan went on this show says everything there is to know. I prefer Jew-haters be upfront about it.” Unfortunately, the interview also became a rallying point for far-right influencers and antisemitic accounts, who quickly latched onto the controversy to amplify their own hateful agendas.

In the days following the broadcast, there was a measurable spike in activity from accounts who proliferate in antisemitic messaging. Terms like “Jewish supremacy” and “filthy Jew” surged in volume following the interview, and usage of the phrase “fuck the Jews” increased by over 2,000% throughout the week, even after filtering out people simply reacting to the event. 

Following his interview, Khan doubled down on the hate by opening an X account, following a number of hateful accounts such as Uncommon Sense and Nick Fuentes, and even appearing on the podcast of Jake Shields, another antisemitic conspiracy theorist.   

Social Media Mentions around the Barstool Incident by Hour 

During the interview, Khan revealed he launched a fundraising page—with the help of Sam Parker, another far-right antisemitic influencer—to raise funds for “any necessary reason.” Since then, he has raised over $16,000, with many anonymous givers leaving antisemitic notes such as “getting real tired of these Jews” and “F the Jews and F Israel and F Portnoy.” This move sparked even more outrage online, as users accused Khan of attempting to profit from his role in spreading hate.  

Alarmingly, this was not the only case of hate monetization making headlines this week. In Minnesota, a woman accused of calling a Black autistic child a racial slur raised over $675,000 with the help of white supremacists and antisemites who have supported her. Similarly, anonymous donors left racist and antisemitic phrases in the notes, including comments that read “J3ws are the reason we are in this mess,” “Jews are using diverse immigrants to dilute the while population,” and the acronym “TND,” which stands for “total n***** death.”  

These cases highlight a deeply troubling trend: viral hate incidents are no longer just moments of outrage — they have become lucrative platforms for extremists to build influence, mobilize followers, and extract money from online sympathizers.