Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - September 20, 2026, 09 PM Eastern

Transcript

Antisemitism Watch - September 20, 2026, 09 PM Eastern · Antisemitism Watch

• 0:06
  Speaker 1: You're listening to Antisemitism Watch. I'm Rachel Adler. From swastikas
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: defacing public spaces to complex campus accountability and legal battles,
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: we track the latest developments in the fight against antisemitism.
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: In Wethersfield, Connecticut, and neighboring Rocky Hill, police are investigating
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: a series of vandalism incidents that occurred Sunday morning. According
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: to WTNH.com reporting, officers found swastikas and antisemitic messages in
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: spray-painted on vehicles, fences, and street signs. Wethersfield police reported
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: responding to multiple acts, while Rocky Hill police stated they
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: condemn this type of conduct. Noting the hateful messaging does
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: not reflect community values, as reported by Hearst Connecticut Media Group,
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: the incidents are believed to be related and remain under investigation,
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: with no arrests made as of now. This physical defacement
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: with hate symbols is a disturbing reminder of antisemitism's presence
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: in public spaces. On campus, University College London, or UCL,
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: is navigating separate issues surrounding hate speech. As reported by
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: News Cord, last November on November 11, 2025, a former
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: UCL researcher repeated the medieval blood libel, the false accusation
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: that Jews kill Christians for blood, at a student society event.
• 1:27
  Speaker 1: By November 13, UCL had taken swift action banning the
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: speaker from campus, reporting her to the police, and suspending
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: the student societies involved. UCL's president and provost, Michael Spence,
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: stated that antisemitism has absolutely no place in our university,
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: and that freedom of speech can never be misused as
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: a shield for hatred. In contrast, a disciplinary process for
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: a different student, Diego Bertora, who made racist and anti-Muslim
• 1:55
  Speaker 1: comments in a WhatsApp group in April 2026, is described
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: by UCL as complex and live. According to the report,
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: an outcome is expected before the start of the academic year,
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: on September 28. This case highlights how universities approach different
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: forms of alleged hate speech, with immediate disciplinary measures taken
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: in one instance of antisemitism, while another case remains pending.
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: Turning to legal accountability, the Zionist Federation of Australia, or ZFA,
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: announced on September 11, 2026, that it was dropping its
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: federal court case against journalist Mary Kostakidis. As detailed in reporting,
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: the ZFA had accused Kostakidis of antisemitism due to her
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: criticism of Israel. The legal action, which began with a
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: complaint to the Australian Human Rights Commission in July 2024,
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: alleged discrimination against Jewish people. On September 11, the case
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: was dismissed by mutual consent in the federal court. with
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: no order on costs. Kostakidis, in her own writings as reported,
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: has described such legal actions as lawfare intended to silence
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: critics of Israel, arguing that supporters of Israel have conflated
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: criticism of Israeli government conduct with antisemitism since the late 1960s.
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: This outcome concludes a legal process where criticism of Israel
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: was directly framed as antisemitism, offering a look at how
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: such allegations fare in court. Finally, As Jewish communities prepare
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: for the high holidays this fall, concerns about antisemitism and
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: security remain a focus. The Detroit Jewish News reported on
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: security considerations at the Isaac Agri Downtown Synagogue in Detroit,
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: highlighting the ongoing need for vigilance within Jewish communal institutions.
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: That's all for today's Antisemitism Watch. I'm Rachel Adler, thank
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: you for listening. Follow Antisemitism Watch in your podcast app
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: so you don't miss the next update. This report was
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: generated with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies. Please verify
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: important details with primary sources.