“Who Killed Jesus Christ?”

This chapter uses an analysis of the public writings of Andrew Torba, the CEO of the far-right social media platform Gab, to argue that the understanding of “free speech” that he constructs for his audience relies on an explicit defense of antisemitic speech. This chapter finds that Torba sees the protection of antisemitic speech as an essential precursor for a future-oriented Christian nationalist project. By connecting antisemitism to the discourse of free speech disseminated by the American right and operationalized through “alt-tech” platforms' content moderation policies, Torba deploys populist frames to hail an audience of “embattled” American conservatives. As he harnesses these populist affects, this chapter argues that he sets the conditions for digital fascism to flourish in the online ecosystem.