California man angered by gender definitions threatened to bomb Merriam-Webster’s offices, federal prosecutors say

A California man was arrested for making violent threats in opposition to the Merriam-Webster over the dictionary firm’s gender definitions, the Department of Justice introduced Friday. Jeremy David Hanson, 34, from Rossmoor, California might face jail time if convicted for anonymously sending what authorities described as violent, “despicable” and “hate-filled” messages. 

Between October 2 and October 8, 2021, Merriam-Webster obtained a collection of “threatening messages and comments demonstrating bias against specific gender identities” on its web site and submitted via its “Contact Us” web page, in accordance to a legal grievance. After the threats, Merriam-Webster closed its workplaces in Springfield, Massachusetts and New York City, New York for 5 enterprise days.

Under the dictionary’s web site definition for the phrase “female,” Hanson allegedly wrote: “There is no such thing as ‘gender identity.’ The imbecile who wrote this entry should be hunted down and shot.”

Through the web site’s “Contact Us” web page, Hanson allegedly submitted the next message: “You [sic] headquarters should be shot up and bombed. It is sickening that you have caved to the cultural Marxist, anti-science tranny [sic] agenda and altered the definition of ‘female’ as part of the Left’s efforts to corrupt and degrade the English language and deny reality. You evil Marxists should all be killed. It would be poetic justice to have someone storm your offices and shoot up the place, leaving none of you commies alive.”

Authorities stated Hanson used the deal with “@anonYmous” to allegedly ship the threats. 

He can be accused of sending one other message later to Merriam-Webster threatening to “bomb your offices for lying….”

Hanson additionally allegedly threatened different establishments and people, together with the American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International, Land O’ Lakes, Hasbro, Inc., IGN Entertainment, the President of the University of North Texas, two professors at Loyola Marymount University and a New York City rabbi, the DOJ stated. 

Joseph R. Bonavolonta, particular agent accountable for the FBI Boston Division, stated Hanson’s alleged threats “crossed a line.”

“Everyone has a right to express their opinion, but repeatedly threatening to kill people, as has been alleged, takes it to a new level,” Bonavolonta stated in an announcement Friday. “Threats to life are most certainly not protected speech and they cause real fear in victims.”

Hanson now faces a cost for one rely of interstate communication of threats to commit violence, which might land him in jail for up to 5 years with three years of supervised launch, and a effective of $250,000 if convicted, in accordance to the DOJ. He was launched on situations earlier than his first federal courtroom look, scheduled for April 29.