Two academics have uncovered a years-long, paid-for influence operation promoting racist, Islamophobic and anti-Qatar views across 30 countries, with evidence suggesting the campaign served Israeli interests.
The investigation, published Thursday by Marc Owen Jones of Northwestern University's Doha campus and independent researcher Sohan Dsouza, documented at least 533 million social media advertisement exposures between October 2023 and October 2026. The campaign, titled "Manufacturing the 'Great Replacement'", likely cost more than $11 million and used platforms including YouTube, TikTok and Facebook.
The advertisements pushed anti-Muslim, anti-migrant and racist narratives while portraying Qatar as driving mass migration to Europe. France accounted for about one-third of total advertisement placements. The UK saw the largest number of exposures at 154 million, followed by the US with 100 million.
The researchers found timing patterns suggesting electoral interference. In France, buying ran through months before the June 2024 European Parliament elections. UK advertising stopped on May 17, 2024, days before that country's general election was called. The report warns the campaign remains active in France and Italy as those countries approach 2027 elections.
Jones noted the ads use the "Great Replacement" conspiracy theory, positioning Qatar in the role typically assigned to Jewish billionaire George Soros in antisemitic narratives. He stated: "Qatar takes the role that anti-Semitic versions give to George Soros: a hidden power directing Muslim immigration to 'Islamise' Europe."
The report concludes with "moderate to high confidence" that the operation launched from within Israel. Metadata showed video editors worked in the Israeli time zone, and machines used Hebrew drive and folder names.
Separately, investigators found one TikTok campaign promoted regime change in Iran to European audiences, with ads beginning February 24, four days before the US and Israel launched military action against Iran.
Qatar has previously been targeted by Israeli-linked campaigns. Last month, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that Israeli influence experts worked on a secret campaign against Doha after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party accused Qatar without evidence of interfering in Israeli elections held Tuesday. Qatar's Foreign Ministry called the allegations a "disinformation campaign".