Far-right trolls launch "Clog The Toilet" to block India-US flights after Trump’s $100,000 H-1B visa fee, causing panic among Indian tech workers.
After President Donald Trump announced a $100,000 fee for H-1B visas, far-right groups online launched a racist campaign called “Operation Clog the Toilet”. In order to disrupt Indian tech professionals, they sought to stop flights from India to the US.
Indian tech workers panicked after Trump’s announcement on September 21. To avoid the higher fee, many rushed to book flights to the US.
Online trolls on forums like 4chan coordinated the campaign. They targeted flights from India to cities like New York, Newark, and Dallas. Posts bragged about holding over 100 seats to "wreck Jeets," a derogatory term for South Asians.
The trolls began to reserve seats without making any payments. This prevented actual passengers from making reservations for a while. They repeated the procedure when the hold ended, which prevented flights from operating and increased the cost of tickets.
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The plan was openly discussed on 4chan, Telegram, and other forums. Many posts contained racist slurs. The main goal was to "keep Indians in India" and create panic among tech workers.
4chan, an anonymous message board founded in 2003, has a history of trolling and extremist campaigns.
One post said, "Indians are just waking up after the H1B news. Want to keep them in India? Clog the flight reservation system."
Another read, "Currently clogging the last available seat on this Delhi to Newark flight."
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Other posts included alarming hate speech:
"Total jeet death."
"Kill every jeet you see on sight."
"Whatever it takes to make a turd free West."
Austin-based software engineer Amrutha Tamanam was vacationing in India. After Trump’s announcement, she struggled to book a flight back.
"It was hard for me to book a ticket and I paid a huge fare for the panic travel," Ms Tamanam told AFP. She eventually bought a one-way ticket to Dallas on Qatar Airways for around $2,000, more than double her original round-trip fare.
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The panic eased after the White House clarified that the $100,000 fee applied only to new H-1B petitions. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, "Those who already hold H-1B visas and are currently outside of the country will NOT be charged $100,000 to re-enter."
Experts say this shows how online hate can affect real life. Far-right trolls are using the internet to target specific groups and cause problems.
To prevent seat-blocking tactics, airlines and travel websites may need to update their systems. Experts warn that racial initiatives like this could lead to psychological and financial stress on international workers, especially migrants.
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The “Clog The Toilet” campaign serves as an example of how internet extremism can affect routine operations like flight travel and financial and personal security. These sites are being monitored by authorities for potential future dangers to international travel.
