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Haverford Professor Charged in Online Antisemitic Threats · Antisemitism Watch

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  Speaker 1: You're listening to Antisemitism Watch, I'm Rachel Adler. Today, we're
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  Speaker 1: tracking critical developments in campus incidents, political rhetoric, and online hate.
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  Speaker 1: We're also launching Antisemitism Watch, Mid-Atlantic, providing focused coverage from
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  Speaker 1: New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and the Philadelphia region. Find
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  Speaker 1: out more at clockworkmedia.org slash MA now. On to the stories.
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  Speaker 1: We begin today with a disturbing incident on campus. Haverford
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  Speaker 1: College professor Guangxuan Ha has been charged with online harassment
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  Speaker 1: and intimidation, according to NBC Philadelphia. Haverford College president Wendy
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  Speaker 1: Raymond stated that Professor Ha allegedly used anonymous social media
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  Speaker 1: accounts and a private network to conceal his identity to
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  Speaker 1: send approximately 50 threatening messages to a single victim over
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  Speaker 1: a seven-month period from October 2025 through May of this year.
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  Speaker 1: Court documents, as reported by NBC Philadelphia, claim that some
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  Speaker 1: messages included the victim's home address, and others contained anti-Semitic
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  Speaker 1: slurs such as calling Jewish people blood-sucking demons, and using
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  Speaker 1: an abbreviation associated with Heil Hitler. Haverford clerk and Haaretz
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  Speaker 1: also reported on the arrest. The college has placed Professor
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  Speaker 1: Ha on administrative leave and banned him from campus as
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  Speaker 1: the legal process unfolds. Campus Safety, Haverford Township Police, and
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  Speaker 1: the FBI assisted in the investigation. In New York City,
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  Speaker 1: Mayor Zoran Mamdani is facing significant criticism following his remarks
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  Speaker 1: on the third anniversary of the October 7th attacks. As
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  Speaker 1: reported by Forward and ABC7 Amarillo, Mamdani posted that the
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  Speaker 1: suffering continued through Israel's devastating, ongoing genocide in Gaza, killing
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  Speaker 1: over 74,000 Palestinians. His statement drew immediate backlash, with former
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  Speaker 1: South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley calling it antisemitic. A new
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  Speaker 1: poll released by the Honan Strategy Group, cited by Forward,
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  Speaker 1: indicates that nearly two-thirds of Jewish voters in New York
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  Speaker 1: City disapprove of Mayor Mamdani's handling of antisemitism, with a
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  Speaker 1: majority also stating he should not hold or attend official
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  Speaker 1: city events commemorating the anniversary. Fox Business noted that Mamdani's
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  Speaker 1: recently released citywide antisemitism strategy has been opposed by more
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  Speaker 1: than 25 Jewish groups, with opposition stemming in part from
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  Speaker 1: its failure, to adopt the IHRA working definition of antisemitism.
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  Speaker 1: Detroit News has observed that antisemitism has rapidly entered progressive
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  Speaker 1: discourse following the October 7th atrocities. Online, the Anti-Defamation League
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  Speaker 1: has documented the co-option of specific imagery to signal support
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  Speaker 1: for terrorism and antisemitism. According to ADL reports, paraglider imagery,
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  Speaker 1: associated with the Hamas-led October 7th attacks where paragliders were
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  Speaker 1: used for infiltration, is now used to celebrate those attacks
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  Speaker 1: and intimidate Jewish people. Similarly, the ADL explains that the
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  Speaker 1: inverted red triangle, first seen in Hamas propaganda videos marking
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  Speaker 1: Israeli targets, has become a symbol representing Hamas itself and
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  Speaker 1: is used in anti-Semitic contexts to call for violence against
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  Speaker 1: Jewish targets or the destruction of Israel. The ADL cautions
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  Speaker 1: that while context is always important, The use of these
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  Speaker 1: symbols in conjunction with pro-Hamas or antisemitic messaging clearly signals
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  Speaker 1: antisemitic intent. On the policy front, the Department of Justice's
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  Speaker 1: Task Force to Combat Antisemitism has announced the launch of
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  Speaker 1: its American tour against hate. With the first stop scheduled
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  Speaker 1: for Southfield, Michigan, on October 14, the DOJ states this
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  Speaker 1: initiative brings federal resources directly to communities experiencing hate. Meanwhile,
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  Speaker 1: Congressman Mike Lawler continues to prioritize combating antisemitism, Jewish security,
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  Speaker 1: and supporting Israel, having championed legislation like the Bipartisan Antisemitism
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  Speaker 1: Awareness Act. In New York City, reports indicate that while
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  Speaker 1: overall crime is falling to historic lows, hate crimes have
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  Speaker 1: seen an increase. According to NPR News Now, an additional
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  Speaker 1: $ 26 million has been allocated to combat antisemitism and hate
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  Speaker 1: crimes in the city. From the Watchdog World, the Anti-Defamation
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  Speaker 1: League released its State of the Arts Report, rating 40 U.S.
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  Speaker 1: art museums on their Jewish representation. The Philadelphia Museum of
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  Speaker 1: Art was assessed as critically deficient, the lowest possible rating,
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  Speaker 1: according to the Jewish exponent, while the Institute of Contemporary
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  Speaker 1: Art in Philadelphia was deemed a work in progress. Finally,
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  Speaker 1: on a note of community response and resilience … The
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  Speaker 1: Postcards from October 7 campaign is placing victims' stories directly
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  Speaker 1: into the hands of European MEPs, urging them to confront
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  Speaker 1: antisemitism across the continent, as reported by UNET. Facebook posts
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  Speaker 1: highlight how public solidarity after the surge in antisemitism post-October
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  Speaker 1: 7 tells victims they are not alone. In London, British
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  Speaker 1: Jewish organizations are holding vigils to honor the victims of
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  Speaker 1: the October 7 attacks. amid concerns over rising antisemitism in
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  Speaker 1: the UK, with the Community Security Trust documenting nearly 2,000
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  Speaker 1: incidents in the first half of this year alone, as
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  Speaker 1: detailed by The Guardian. And on campuses, Jewish Insider notes
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  Speaker 1: how freshmen are stepping into leadership roles, addressing antisemitism and protests,
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  Speaker 1: citing figures like Jacob Intreder at Georgetown University. I'm Rachel Adler,
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  Speaker 1: thank you for listening to Antisemitism Watch. For focused coverage
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  Speaker 1: from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and the Philadelphia region,
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  Speaker 1: listen to Antisemitism Watch. MidAtlantic at ClockworkMedia.org.ma. Follow Antisemitism Watch
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  Speaker 1: This report was generated with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies.
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  Speaker 1: Please verify important details with primary sources.