The return of Ali G, a character known for his exaggerated appropriation of Black British and American cultural styles, was always likely to provoke discussion. Indeed, upon the trailer's debut, commentator Afua Hirsch voiced concerns, arguing that the humor was now out of step: "Black people don’t dress like that anymore. Even white people imitating Black people don’t talk like that anymore. Sexualizing black women and casually mocking working class women is not accepted anymore." Cohen himself seemed to anticipate some outcry, even featuring a satirical character in promotional material who urged a boycott for not being "PC."

However, the campaign against Ali G: Who Iz I? has taken a distinct turn, evolving into a sophisticated, politically charged effort. A U.K.-based online media activism platform called NewsCord, incubated by the nonprofit Tech for Palestine, has positioned itself at the forefront of this movement. NewsCord characterized Cohen's work as "blackface" and launched an extensive campaign to pressure cinemas into refusing to screen the film.

Employing a "specialized language model," NewsCord's platform allows users to mass-send personalized emails to exhibitors, claiming to have dispatched around 55,000 such messages. The campaign targets major cinema chains in both the U.K. and U.S., and NewsCord has celebrated instances where chains, like Picturehouse, confirmed they had no plans to show the film. This tactic extends beyond theatrical release, with Tech for Palestine also accused of orchestrating efforts to downvote pro-Israel documentaries on IMDb and boycott upcoming Disney films due to perceived ties to Israel.

The broader agenda of Tech for Palestine, which describes its mission as "cultivating a garden of projects and services that shut down genocidal speech," has drawn criticism from organizations like the Anti-Defamation League and Tel Aviv University for allegedly influencing Wikipedia pages and promoting anti-Israel bias. Their founder, Paul Biggar, has openly accused Israel of "astroturfing IMDb’s review system to manufacture consent for genocide" and provided instructions to counter it.

Sacha Baron Cohen, a prominent Jewish figure in Hollywood, has a history of using satire to expose prejudice and has been vocal against antisemitism. He played an Israeli Mossad agent in Netflix's The Spy and has spoken out against the spread of antisemitic rhetoric online. Executive producer Monica Levinson noted the organized nature of the attacks, stating, "The coordination, messaging and scale of the attack has been astounding." Cohen himself acknowledged the targeting of Jewish figures, telling The Hollywood Reporter, "a lot of the stuff on social media is orchestrated, and not necessarily orchestrated by people who really believe in what they’re saying… I knew that this was going to happen. The level of organization is surprising, but this is a trend of Jews being portrayed in certain ways and trying to be silenced."

Ali G: Who Iz I? ultimately received a limited theatrical release before arriving on Amazon Prime Video, garnering mixed reviews. The controversy surrounding its release, however, highlights the increasing intersection of online activism, geopolitical conflicts, and the entertainment industry, particularly as it pertains to public figures like Cohen.