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Cornell University directors dispatched campus police to a Jewish center after threatening statements seemed on a dialogue board Sunday.
Cornell President Martha E. Pollack issued a remark explaining there have been a chain of “horrendous, antisemitic messages” threatening violence in opposition to the college’s Jewish neighborhood, particularly naming the cope with of the Center for Jewish Living.
“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,” Pollack mentioned. “Our immediate focus is on keeping the community safe; we will continue to prioritize that.”
The Cornell University Police Department is investigating and has notified the FBI of a possible hate crime, she mentioned.
Pollack mentioned the web page used to be no longer affiliated with the college in Ithaca, New York, about 227 miles (365 kilometers) northwest of New York City.
“The virulence and destructiveness of antisemitism is real and deeply impacting our Jewish students, faculty and staff, as well as the entire Cornell community,” Pollack mentioned, noting antisemitism may not be tolerated at Cornell.
The content material of the online threats seemed to be instigated through the continued Israel-Hamas battle and despatched chills via Cornell’s Jewish neighborhood throughout the 3rd week of the warfare within the Gaza Strip.
The menacing posts drew a swift rebuke from state officers.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul posted a message on X, previously Twitter, calling the “disgusting & hateful posts” the most recent in a chain of regarding occasions on faculty campuses. The New York State Police is taking steps to be sure that scholar protection, even if she mentioned it used to be no longer right away transparent if the threats have been credible.
Hochul mentioned she spoke with college leaders around the state to guarantee them regulation enforcement and the state govt will proceed to make stronger efforts to stay scholars and campus communities secure.
“I also reiterated our strong belief in free speech and the right to peaceful assembly, but made clear that we will have zero tolerance for acts of violence or those who intimidate and harass others through words or actions,” Hochul mentioned in her post.
New York Attorney General Letitia James known as the threats focused on the Jewish neighborhood “absolutely horrific.”
“There is no space for antisemitism or violence of any kind. Campuses must remain safe spaces for our students,” she wrote in a post on X.
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