Overview

The Day of Rage or Day of Jihad refers to Friday, October 13th, 2023, when former Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal called for people in Arab countries and around the world who support the Palestinian cause to protest and act against Israel. The call came on the eve of a looming Israeli ground invasion of the Gaza Strip amid the escalation of war between Israel and the militant group Hamas following the October 2023 conflict. In the United States and elsewhere, rightwing media outlets interpreted the message as a call to war, with some posting content reframing it as "2nd Amendment Appreciation Day." In many major U.S. cities and other places around the world, leaders also stated that there would be increased police presence in response to the call for Friday demonstrations.

Background

After Hamas militants swept into territory held by Israel, killing and committing atrocities on October 7th, 2023, Israel conducted a bombardment and siege of the Gaza Strip and cut off food, water and power for the 2.3 million people living there.^[10] On October 12th, Israel advised over a million Gazans to evacuate the northern part of the territory within 24 hours, leading many to expect an imminent ground invasion that could potentially lead to thousands of civilian casualties, as well as deaths of Israeli soldiers.^[1]

Khaled Meshaal, Hamas' leader from 2007 to 2017 who lives overseas in Qatar and not in the Gaza Strip, is still involved in the group's leadership as head of the diaspora office.^[2] On October 11th, Meshaal called for demonstrations across the Arab world in support of Palestine, saying (according to Reuters): "[We must] head to the squares and streets of the Arab and Islamic world on Friday" and "To all scholars who teach jihad … to all who teach and learn, this is a moment for the application (of theories)."^[3]

In countries around the world, police departments stepped up patrols and security around synagogues and Jewish neighborhoods, fearing antisemitic violence.^[11] Meanwhile, numerous right-wing online commentators and politicians posted about measures they would take (usually involving firearms) to fight off jihadist militants or Muslims in reaction to the call from Meshaal.^[12] For example, American actor and producer James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) posted about his plans on October 12th, earning almost 90,000 likes in a day (seen below).^[7]

Developments

2nd Amendment Appreciation Day

As right-wing media personalities announced online that the "day of rage" would take place on October 13th, 2023, numerous posters and users responded by sharing how they planned to prepare. Some claimed there would be terrorist attacks in their own neighborhoods and shared that they were stocking up on ammunition.^[13]

In the United States, many started calling October 13th "2nd Amendment Appreciation Day" instead, boasting about their willingness to use guns. The earliest to do this on X was James Musgraves, who posted the phrase on October 11th.^[5]

On October 12th, many others posted the phrase, which garnered greater visibility through the reply posted (seen below, right) by X user @K9_Suriel to a post by right-wing media personality Laura Loomer, which received almost 1,000 likes in the course of a day.^[6]

Incidents of Violence

On October 13th, 2023, a teacher was killed and several others were wounded in a knife attack in Arras, France, which was reportedly an act of radical Islamist terrorism by a Chechen who was known to authorities as a radical (seen below, left). Reports also noted that the attacker shouted "Allahu Akbar" ("God is greater") during the incident.^[4] Also that day, an Israeli embassy staffer in Bejing, China was stabbed with a knife by an assailant (seen below, right).^[14]

Online Reactions

Online, some posted criticisms of those who used the incident to encourage gun buying and carrying. For example, on October 13th, 2023, X user @zachsilberberg mocked posters who believed that a viral video of a car stopping traffic while flying what appeared to be a Puerto Rican flag was linked to Hamas, receiving just over 200 likes in six hours (seen below, left).^[8] Also that day, user @mariakultra received over 100 likes for criticizing the rightwing Americans posting about the "Day of Rage" (seen below, right).^[9]

Related Events

October 2023 Hamas vs. Israel Conflict

The October 2023 Hamas v. Israel Conflict also known as the October 2023 Gaza-Israel Conflict, refers to the initial surprise attack on Israel from Palestinian militant groups led by Hamas and the subsequent counteroffensive from Israel and Israel Defense Forces (IDF). On October 7th, 2023, Hamas, which has been designated a terrorist group by numerous countries including Israel, the U.S. and the E.U., launched an invasion against Israel from the Gaza Strip, breaking through barriers and border crossings, as well as conducting offensives via boats and motorized paragliders. Hamas called this attack "Operation al-Aqsa Storm." Following the initial attack, Israel formally declared war and responded with its own operation called "Iron Swords." The conflict, resulting after years of increased tension between Hamas, Israel and Palestine, quickly received global media coverage and sparked protests around the world. Online, the events resulted in heated discourse on social media platforms as waves of antisemitism and Islamophobia spread online among other posts such as viral videos and even memes.

Search Interest

External References