The conspiracy subreddit, which has two million members, regularly contributes to the spread of conspiracy theories. As its name suggests, the subreddit is known for regularly spreading conspiracy theories and misinformation, such as claiming that multiple mass shootings were staged and spreading a conspiracy theory that was dubbed “Pizzagate 2.0.” It was also the “adopted home of Pizzagate theorists after Reddit shut down r/pizzagate.” [Reddit, accessed 9/12/23; Media Matters, 8/25/22; Twitter/X, 7/24/19; The Verge, 1/11/17]

In particular, r/conspiracy played a major role in spreading a conspiracy theory that an online furniture company was involved in human trafficking. The subreddit played a significant role spreading the baseless conspiracy theory that the company Wayfair was trafficking children. The false claims forced investigators at the Department of Homeland Security to “pause active investigations to sort out what was happening with Wayfair,” but they ultimately found “no evidence to support any of the allegations.” However, The Washington Post reported that “the company hired armed security at several fulfillment centers after an onslaught of threats from people who claimed they were bringing their guns to ‘free’ the kids.” [Twitter/X, 7/10/20; The Washington Post, 12/16/21]

In 2022, a mass shooter in Buffalo, New York, cited r/conspiracy in his hate-filled manifesto that targeted Black and Jewish Americans. The gunman who murdered 10 Black people at a grocery store in May 2022 cited the conspiracy subreddit in a written screed, posting a screenshot from the subreddit that promoted antisemitism. (Media Matters is choosing not to link to or screenshot any part of the shooter’s writings.) [NBC News, 2/15/23]

The conspiracy subreddit has been closely tied to the message board TheDonald, which was previously the subreddit “r/The_Donald.” In 2020, a then-moderator of r/conspiracy announced a backup forum for the subreddit on TheDonald’s new site, calling it a “back-up/contingency plan if r/conspiracy were censored or otherwise neutered.” According to the Daily Dot, an analysis found that r/conspiracy “saw a consistent crossover with the pro-Trump r/The_Donald subreddit before The_Donald was permanently banned for hate speech.” And in May 2017, a moderator for r/conspiracy wrote that “all refugees from the_donald” are “welcome to immigrate here.” [Media Matters, 6/29/20, 6/30/20; Daily Dot, 1/8/21; Reddit, 5/19/17]

After the insurrection, Reddit announced that r/conspiracy’s “former head mod … had been removed as a moderator of the subreddit and permanently suspended from the site.” Following the January 6 insurrection, Reddit announced that r/conspiracy’s “former head mod … had been removed as a moderator of the subreddit and permanently suspended from the site.” The Daily Dot found that the moderator had promoted election fraud conspiracy theories including “Italygate,” which “baselessly purports the election was fixed by an international coalition that includes President Barack Obama and a former Italian prime minister.” He also promoted pro-Nazi content and had complained that Reddit took down content “that calls into question the ‘official’ narrative of the Holocaust.” [Daily Dot, 1/8/21; Twitter/X, 2/14/20]

Multiple QAnon influencers were allegedly moderators of r/conspiracy. A QAnon influencer known online as “Absolute1776” has claimed that he was previously a moderator of r/conspiracy, which he called the “largest ... conspiracy message board on the planet” and noted that he has since been banned. He has also claimed that another QAnon influencer, who is a member of the QAnon influencer collective We The Media with Absolute1776, was also a moderator on the subreddit alongside him. [Media Matters, 6/29/23; Conservative Daily Podcast, 3/30/23; Badlands Media, Vigilant News, 7/9/23]

Conspiracy subreddit users have spread antisemitism and called for violence for years. Users on the conspiracy subreddit have repeatedly spread antisemitism, such as complaining about pushback on Holocaust denial, claiming Jewish people control The New York Times, and agreeing that there is a “history of Jewish human ritual sacrifice.” Users had also made calls for violence, such as calling to “drag out the guillotines.” [Twitter/X, 8/16/19, 8/21/19, 11/12/19, 2/14/20; Media Matters, 9/12/23]

Reddit prohibits content “promoting hate based on identity or vulnerability.” Reddit’s rules ban content “attacking marginalized or vulnerable groups of people,” adding that “marginalized or vulnerable groups include, but are not limited to, groups based on their actual and perceived race, color, religion, national origin, ethnicity, immigration status, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy, or disability.” The rule states that “communities and people that incite violence or that promote hate based on identity or vulnerability will be banned.” [Reddit, accessed 8/30/23]

Reddit prohibits “violent content.” Reddit’s policies bar content that “encourages, glorifies, incites, or calls for violence or physical harm against an individual (including oneself) or a group of people.” [Reddit, accessed 8/30/23]

Reddit says it takes into account “the pattern of behavior” for “the activity of a community” regarding possible rule violations. In its hate speech rule, Reddit notes that “when evaluating the activity of a community or an individual user, we consider both the context as well as the pattern of behavior.” [Reddit, accessed 8/30/23]

Reddit has previously banned subreddits that have violated those rules. In 2017, Reddit “shut down several Nazi and white supremacist subreddits” after its violent content policy came into effect, according to The Verge. In 2018, the site banned the largest subreddit dedicated to QAnon, citing “repeated violations of the terms” of its content policy; NBC News noted that the forum was “host to a stream of violent threats.” In 2019, the platform banned the subreddit “r/frenworld,” which “featured racist and anti-Semitic Pepe the Frog-style cartoons,” with a spokesperson saying it “violated rules against encouraging and glorifying violence.” In 2020, Reddit banned r/The_Donald and nearly 7,000 other subreddits as part of a crackdown on hate speech. And last year, the platform banned “the India-focused r/Chodi discussion forum” for “violating Reddit’s rule against promoting hate.” [NBC News, 9/12/18; Twitter/X, 6/20/19; Media Matters, 6/29/20; The Verge, 10/25/17, 8/20/20; Time, 3/24/22]

As the Anti-Defamation League notes, “The Rothschild banking family has been at the center of a longstanding antisemitic conspiracy theory that plays on stereotypes of Jewish power and connection to money.” The ADL also says, “The theory posits that a cabal of Jews led by the Rothschilds has been manipulating currency and exerting influence on regional and national events since the early 19th century for the purposes of personal enrichment and world domination.” Specifically, “sometimes ‘Rothschild’ is simply used as an antisemitic dog whistle for ‘Jew’ or ‘Jewish.’” [Anti-Defamation League, accessed 8/30/23]

Conspiracy theory researcher and journalist Mike Rothschild (no relation to the Rothschild banking family) has called conspiracy theories about the Rothschilds part of “institutionalized antisemitism.” Rothschild, author of the book Jewish Space Lasers: The Rothschilds and 200 Years of Conspiracy Theories, told The Forward that conspiracy theories about the Rothschild family were related to “institutionalized antisemitism,” in which “Jews and especially wealthy and visible Jews will always be an appealing scapegoat for a certain type of person.” [The Forward, 9/7/23]

In a recent thread on r/conspiracy, a user claimed that “the religion of the Rothschilds is called Sabbatean Frankism (occult Satanism)” and its adherents “do the most evil sins imaginable including raping/killing kids.” That same user commented that “they are truly a ruthless bunch” who are “starting wars and funding both sides and stealing all the plebs' money via inflation and turning the masses into inflation slaves is some of their favorite things,” adding that “they financed/ran the Epstein-Maxwell child rape/sacrifice operation.” [Reddit, 7/3/23]

That r/conspiracy user also posted a long thread titled “How the Rothschilds took over the World (by CatEyes420). Long but extremely informative and necessary to understand who runs the world, why Trump, Clintons, Biden are puppets, and why Putin and Zelensky are puppets of the Rothschild NWO Banking Cartel. Modern Ukraine formed in 1917 by Rothschilds.” The thread claimed, among other things, that the Rothschilds “used the Jews and other people in the concentration camps” during the Holocaust “for slave labor,” that the Rothschilds murdered Presidents Abraham Lincoln and John F. Kennedy, and that “the September 11th attack of the Twin Towers was arranged by the United States, Britain, and Israel, through an order received from the Rothschilds” as part of “their goal to gain security and control over the world.” [Reddit, 5/21/23]

Another user responded to the thread by speculating that “the Roths control everything and kill everyone that does not agree.” [Reddit, 5/22/23]

A user claimed that climate activist Greta Thunberg “is a blood relative of the notorious Rothschild chain of nation-buyers,” adding that “it explains much about the precocious adolescent’s celebrity status drooled over by presidents and prime ministers.” [Reddit, 7/7/22]

The same user behind the “How the Rothschilds took over the World” thread wrote another thread accusing “Luciferians” of being “involved in child rape/murder with Rothschilds financing/protecting Epstein and Maxwell, starting world wars, stealing the plebs’ money via war and inflation, releasing viruses on us, injecting us with toxic shots, etc.” [Reddit, 7/6/23]

Another r/conspiracy user claimed that the Rothschild family alongside the CIA “ran the Jeffrey Epstein child rape operation to control politicans.” [Reddit, 9/5/23]

A user claimed that the Rothschilds were part of the debunked “Pizzagate” conspiracy theory and “own/finance Epstein.” [Reddit, 2/1/23]

Users on r/conspiracy have repeatedly posted the antisemitic echo, which the ADL describes as a “typographical practice used by some antisemites online” that “typically consists of three pairs of parentheses or brackets used around someone’s name or around a term or phrase.” The ADL added that “the use of the echo was relatively uncommon, but in the spring of 2016, some antisemites began using the echo when responding to or re-tweeting Jewish journalists, or journalists thought to be Jewish.” [Anti-Defamation League, accessed 8/30/23]

In response to an r/conspiracy thread about a video from antisemitic conspiracy theorist David Icke about “who controls the world,” a user wrote, “(((they))) you can't discuss that on any platform.” [The Times of Israel, 2/20/19; Reddit, 1/31/23]

In response to a thread claiming that “twitter won't let you type ‘Epstein’” and “Autocorrect = shadow banning your tweet,” a user put an echo around “autocorrect,” suggesting that Jewish people were behind the supposed action. [Reddit, 7/23/23]

In response to a thread claiming an Israeli author called for targeting conspiracy theorists, a user put an echo around “elites.” [Reddit, 7/31/23]

A user responded to a thread about a 50 euro bank note supposedly showing part of a demon-like image and suggested Jewish people were behind it, writing, “It’s by (((design))) always has been.” [Reddit, 7/4/23]

A user put the echo around “berg” in “iceberg” in a thread claiming the sinking of the Titanic “was an inside job,” suggesting that Jewish people were somehow involved in that incident. [Reddit, 6/7/21]

A conspiracy subreddit user implied that Reddit is controlled by Jewish people saying, “You mean (((Removed by Reddit))).” The post was in response to another user claiming that “if we use more accurate terms” about an alleged mass shooter, they would “get (Removed by Reddit).” The first user also responded back, “Lmao yes, but I also don’t want this account permabanned too.” [Reddit, 7/5/23]

In a thread about supposedly “bizarre perverse” content from a YouTube influencer, a user demanded, “Does he (((echo)))? Do I even need to ask?” Another user responded, “According to a comment above, real name is (((Grossman))), so as you’d expect.” [Reddit, 6/6/20]

In response to a thread claiming that “the Age of the Whore is upon us,” a user wrote, “Aren’t you glad (((we))) won the war?” [Reddit, 7/28/20]

In a thread claiming some imagery of the World Trade Center in pop culture predicted the September 11 attacks, a user wrote that the creators were “given info of future plans (((they))) have for us.” [Reddit, 8/18/21]

Another user agreed that the 1969 moon landing was faked and wrote a long-winded theory suggesting Jewish people were behind it. The user wrote that “(((they))) indeed used the VW beetle chasis to make those Moon Buggies that cost $39mill each at that time,” and claimed that “(((they))) have been doing this for thousands of years.” [Reddit, 7/13/22]

Discussing the cofounder of Netflix, a user wrote, “No wonder there’s so much woke bullshit shoved down our throats on (((netflix))).” [Reddit, 6/27/21]

In response to a thread pushing the baseless “great reset” conspiracy theory and claiming that vaccines are harmful, a user wrote, “Why would (((the Media))) give the 99% a reason to hang them?” [BBC News, 6/24/21; Reddit, 12/28/21]

In a thread suggesting there are satanic messages in popular music, another user claimed that the media are run by Jewish people, writing, “Of course the lying (((media))) won’t let the existence of either of these songs come to light.” [Reddit, 12/10/21]

A user suggested that celebrities are being controlled by Jewish people, writing, “Yeah... (((they’re))) vampires.” [Reddit, 11/7/22]

In a thread claiming that a “fake alien invasion can bring the new world order,” a user wrote, “(((they))) are def playing that card.” [Reddit, 4/28/22]

A user suggested that Jewish people are controlling “(((private))) companies” to give license plate data to the government. [Reddit, 12/5/21]

A user in a thread suggesting a media coverup of supposed harms from COVID vaccines wrote, “I don’t think most people are that aware of it yet because I don’t think most people have had too many opinions that piss (((them))) off.” [Reddit, 7/2/21]

A user suggested that Jewish people circumcise in order to use foreskin for skincare, writing, “What if this is why (((they))) circumcise their children?!?” [Reddit, 2/12/22]

An r/conspiracy user put an echo around the name of a Jewish Ukrainian businessman, in response to another user who claimed he was controlling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (who is also Jewish). [Reddit, 3/30/22]

The antisemitic Khazarian mafia conspiracy theory claims that many modern-day Jewish people are frauds who have hidden behind Jewish identity to oppress the world. [Institute for Strategic Dialogue, 5/5/22; American Jewish Committee, accessed 8/30/23]

Mike Rothschild has previously told Media Matters that the conspiracy theory is rooted in antisemitism. According to Rothschild, the researcher and journalist, “Khazarian Mafia theory is that today’s Ashkenazi Jews, the descendants of the Jews who settled in the Holy Roman Empire during the Diaspora and who would eventually emigrate to the US and Israel, are not actually Middle Eastern in origin. Instead, they’re the descendants of a nomadic Eastern European/Central Asian tribe called the Khazars, who converted to Judaism in the 8th century CE. That ‘tribe’ of imposter Jews now exerts an iron grip on politics and finance through high-ranking families like the Rothschilds and Warburgs.” Rothschild added that there is “scant evidence to support this theory, and its origins and usage are deeply antisemitic” and is “part of a long line of canards used by antisemites to claim that certain powerful Jewish families are ‘fake Jews’ and exploit the suffering of actual Jewish people for their own purposes, usually making money and causing chaos.” [Media Matters, 2/6/23]

Discussing the Russian invasion of Ukraine, one r/conspiracy user claimed that Ukraine “has full support from the Khazarian Mafia/Rothschild/Rockefeller/Skull and Bones/Soros/CIA/Neo-Nazi/Mars cult/New Atlantis/Black Magick Witchcraft Sorcery/Eighth Sphere/Transhumanist New World Order.” A user in response wrote, “Khazars gonna khazar.” Another user wrote that “maybe its part truth, the khazarian thing,” and suggested Judaism is a “dark religion.” [Reddit, 5/16/22]

A user posted a thread about supposed Jewish involvement in vaccine development, the Chinese Communist Party, and other institutions around the world and wrote, “Always remember: They only pretend to be Jews. They are Zionists of the Khazarian mafia - they have not the slightest thing to do with real Jews!” [Reddit, 8/31/21]

A user wrote a thread supposedly giving a “quick rundown on the Khazarian Mafia,” claiming, “The Khazarian Zionists don't like Orthodox Jews. They never did and let many of them die in Concentration Camps so they can hijack their race.” The user added that “their ultimate goal is to destroy all Government and Religions worldwide and then force Satanism by law upon the people whom they seek to totally enslave.” [Reddit, 5/15/21]

A user wrote a thread wondering “which Khazarian mafia puppet leader will be first to fall,” claiming that “the bankruptcy of the Western Khazarian mafia ruling class is the cause of the political turmoil,” and adding that “the Rockefellers, Rothschilds etc, began extorting even more money from the European and American people.” [Reddit, 4/1/23]

An r/conspiracy user wrote a thread suggesting a connection between the Rothschilds and the Federal Reserve and claimed that “Mayer Amshel Bauer-Rothschild was an Ashkenazi Jew who was descended from the pagan Khazar Empire,” which is where “fake non-Hebrew Jews” are from today. [Reddit, 1/17/21]

In a thread suggesting Israeli art students were behind 9/11, a user wrote that the “Khazarian Mafia” was “actively stalking american children on Reddit too.” [Reddit, 5/12/23]

A user claimed that a “Khazarian Cabal” was the reason Elon Musk’s mother supported Ukraine against Russian invasion. [Reddit, 7/12/22]

In response to a thread about the supposed activities of BlackRock CEO Larry Fink (who is Jewish), a user claimed that “wokeness” was “being pushed by another member of the Khazarian Mafia.” [Reddit, 11/16/21]

Another r/conspiracy user claimed that the “Khazarian Mafia” was part of “this pizzagate stuff and the pedo based networks.” [Reddit, 7/10/22]

A user claimed that the “Khazarian mafia my dude they all worship moloch.” [Reddit, 3/28/22]

A conspiracy subreddit user called the Holocaust a “hoax” while claiming that Jewish people “own the banks, the media, Hollywood,” and that “America and the West has been taken over by the Jews.” [Reddit, 6/25/22]

One user asked if another had “ever heard of the holohoax.” [Reddit, 7/21/22]

A user criticized “habarus ‘hebrews’” for “their 6 million phony Holocaust” along with supposedly controlling “almost all of the media, entertainment industry, educational system, legal system and financial system.” [Reddit, 9/6/20]

Another r/conspiracy user wrote that it “boggles my mind that the ‘Nazis were evil’ and the ‘6 million dead Jews’ are the one conspiracy that people on here actually believe.” [Reddit, 5/24/22]

A user claimed that it was “a real possibility that certain factions of Jews allowed the Holocaust to take place” in order to “garner sympathy in the world community for establishing the State of Israel.” [Reddit, 5/16/21]

In response to a thread claiming that the Rothschilds’ religion is “Sabbatean Frankism (occult Satanism),” a user asked, “Is it a sin to do sinful things if you do them to sinful people?” [Reddit, 7/3/23]

Another user in that same thread also wondered “if we got rid of them all at tbe too would we have a paradise on earth.” [Reddit, 7/4/23]