A Cornell student who allegedly made threats to his university’s Jewish community is expected in federal court in Syracuse, New York, on Wednesday.
In the aftermath of Hamas’s attack on Israelis on 7 October and Israel’s subsequent retaliation on Palestinians in Gaza, concerns of a rise in antisemitism and Islamophobia persist, especially on college campuses.
Patrick Dai, 21, a junior at Cornell, has been charged with threatening to kill or injure using interstate communications, according to federal prosecutors in New York’s northern district. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Prosecutors claimed Dai said he would “bring an assault rifle to campus and shoot all you”, threatened to “stab” and “slit the throat” of Jewish men, rape Jewish women and throw their bodies off a cliff, and behead Jewish babies. He allegedly specifically targeted the campus’s Center for Jewish Living.
The threats were discovered on an online discussion board by tracing Dai’s IP address.
“Dai admitted, after receiving Miranda warnings, that he was the person who used the internet to post the threatening messages described above,” the federal complaint against Dai said.
In a statement to the Guardian, the Center for Jewish Living said it “is relieved to hear that an arrest has been made in connection with the horrific antisemitic posts that threatened our complex. It deeply saddens and pains us to learn that the threats were made by a Cornell student, and that such hate exists amongst our peers. We firmly believe that if found guilty, this student must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. There is no place for antisemitism anywhere in this world, and terrorizing actions must be punished.
“While we are thankful this student is in custody, we understand that this incident does not stand alone. It represents the growing trend of rising antisemitism worldwide that we must continue to fight in all forms. As a community and as a people, we are proud to be Jewish. There will always be those who hate us, but as long as we come together in the face of adversity, we will persevere.”
This isn’t the only time in recent weeks that Cornell University has made headlines. Earlier this month, one of its professors, Russell Rickford, called the Hamas attack “exhilarating” and “energizing” at a pro-Palestinian rally during the Ithaca Commons.
“Hamas has challenged the monopoly of violence. And in those first few hours, even as horrific acts were being carried out, many of which we would not learn about until later, there are many Gazans of good will, many Palestinians of conscience, who abhor violence, as do you, as do I. Who abhor the targeting of civilians, as do you, as do I,” Rickford said during the rally. “Who were able to breathe, they were able to breathe for the first time in years. It was exhilarating. It was energizing. And if they weren’t exhilarated by this challenge to the monopoly of violence, by this shifting of the balance of power, then they would not be human. I was exhilarated.”
Part of Rickford’s speech was filmed and later shared among the Cornell community and beyond. Some students later told the Cornell Daily Sun that they “felt the remarks were words of hate against Israeli citizens and Jewish people”. The speech ultimately garnered attention around the globe and led to lawmakers such as the New York state senator Joseph Griffo to “strongly condemn” the professor’s “hateful comments and ask that he face consequences”. Although the associate professor of history later apologized “for the horrible choice of words” in the Cornell Daily Sun, he was placed on leave of absence.
Martha Pollack, Cornell’s president, also addressed the threats to the university at large and said in a statement to students: “Threats of violence are absolutely intolerable, and we will work to ensure that the person or people who posted them are punished to the full extent of the law. Our immediate focus is on keeping the community safe; we will continue to prioritize that. We will not tolerate antisemitism at Cornell.”
Pollack also said Cornell police will remain on site to ensure the safety of students and community members.
The news of allegations against Dai comes shortly after the fatal stabbing of six-year-old Wadea al-Fayoume, a child of Palestinian descent, by his parents’ landlord. Al-Fayoume’s mother was also stabbed multiple times in the incident, but survived.
The Council on American Islamic Relations cited nearly 800 complaints of Islamophobia since the escalation of violence in Israel and Palestine – the largest wave of complaints seen since December 2015, after Donald Trump declared his intent to ban Muslims from the US. Cair said it was likely this figure was an undercount.
Similarly, the Biden administration has expressed fear of more antisemitic incidents since the latest bout of violence in the region. On Monday, Biden announced new actions to combat antisemitism on college campuses after an “alarming” uptick in incidents since early October.
The Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security will partner with campus law enforcement across the country to track such threats.
In a press briefing on Monday, the White House press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, said: “To the students at Cornell, and on campuses across the country, we’re tracking these threats closely. We’re thinking of you and we’re going to do everything we can on both at Cornell and across the country to counter … antisemitism.”
The White House is “closely monitoring” the situation at Cornell.
