Users condemn new TikTok trend ‘well, well, well’ and its meaning which has been criticised for spreading antisemitism.

A new TikTok trend has been criticised by some users for being antisemitic. The trend sees users commenting the phrase ‘well, well, well’ under certain videos, particularly those involving Jewish people.

Fans ask what ‘well, well, well’ means amid rise of worrying trend

TikTok users have seen a rise in the phrase ‘well, well, well’ being used in the comments on certain videos. The videos usually involve a Jewish person or a subject relating to Jewish culture and tradition.

The phrase was particularly prominent under one of the videos of Berel Solomon. Berel Solomon is a Jewish man who is the producer of the documentary Orthodoxed and also has a new movie called The Jewish Secret to Wealth.

He is popular on TikTok, and recently posted a video discussing ‘Jewish Business Secret! #27’. However, the video was flooded with comments saying ‘well, well, well’. Another user shared a screenshot of the comments section in a separate video:

There are many other videos like this with a brief snapshot of all the ‘well, well, well’ comments. The videos usually include Jewish people, and hashtags such as #welllwellwell, #wellwellwellchallenge and #wellwellwellmemes have been used:

Fans condemn antisemitism in light of new phrase

Naturally, many users have been desperate to understand the meaning of ‘well, well well’. The meaning is vague, but as one user writes, ‘it’s a dog whistle. It has some antisemitic meaning and [people] spam it on videos with Jewish ppl in it.’

A dog whistle is described as ‘the use of coded or suggestive language in political messaging to garner support from a particular group without provoking opposition. Furthermore, it is ‘a surreptitious inclusion of code words or phrases that will be heard by some of those listening, while not disturbing the other listeners, who may not appreciate the hidden message(s).’

Essentially, ‘well, well, well’ was started as an antisemitic comment used against Jewish people that has been used secretly so as to not flag moderators.

When people were made aware of the real meaning of ‘well, well, well’, they were quick to condemn its use.

‘Repulsive! Keep spreading the word…That it’s always called out. Silence is our worst enemy,’ one person wrote.

‘i’ve witnessed soo much antisemitism in the comments!!! It’s actually so sickening… anonymity shows their true colours,’ another added.

It is not the first time TikTok has been used to spread antisemitism

This is the not the first time antisemitism has been spread on the popular social media platform. In 2021, users were using the “Expressify” filter to exaggerate their facial features. They did so while also singing “If I Were A Rich Man” from the musical Fiddler on the Roof.

“A lot of [people] are making jokes about money and greed, and … one person [was] calling themselves a goblin”, one person reportedly said at the time.

“People have been using the sound to mock ‘nigun’, which is a Jewish traditional form of singing that usually uses repetitive sounds rather than traditional lyrics”, another said.

At the time, TikTok condemned the “hateful behaviour” and said they were “committed to promoting a safe environment.”

“TikTok’s mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy and we do not tolerate content, including trends, that promote anti-semitism and hateful behavior. We are committed to promoting a safe community environment and remove content that violates our Community Guidelines,” the company told one source.

They also said the trend went against the company’s community guidelines and that it had removed the trend since it was first reported.

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