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Northwestern University Play Disrupted by Fire Alarm · Antisemitism Watch

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  Speaker 1: You're listening to Antisemitism Watch. I'm Rachel Adler. We're also
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  Speaker 1: launching Antisemitism Watch, Mid-Atlantic, providing focused coverage from New York,
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  Speaker 1: New Jersey, Connecticut, and the Philadelphia region. You can find
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  Speaker 1: us at clockworkmedia.org slash m, a at Northwestern University. An
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  Speaker 1: event featuring testimonies from victims of the 2023 Hamas attacks
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  Speaker 1: was disrupted by a fire alarm. The play, titled October 7th,
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  Speaker 1: was underway at the Khan Auditorium when the alarm sounded,
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  Speaker 1: causing an evacuation. Co-writer Anne McElhinney told Fox News Digital
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  Speaker 1: that many audience members initially believed the alarm was part
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  Speaker 1: of the performance, as the preceding dialogue had involved sirens.
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  Speaker 1: After authorities cleared the building, some attendees left, while others
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  Speaker 1: chose to stay, described as feeling defiant. Co-writer Phelan McAleer
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  Speaker 1: told Fox News Digital that the performance concluded with a
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  Speaker 1: standing ovation. which he felt was a tribute to the
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  Speaker 1: show's participants and also a statement of defiance against an
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  Speaker 1: attempt to intimidate them. McAleer characterized the alarm activation as
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  Speaker 1: a cowardly, insidious, and sneaky attempt to silence and frighten attendees.
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  Speaker 1: Northwestern media relations confirmed the alarm activated around 8.12 p.m.,
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  Speaker 1: leading to an evacuation, and that the building was cleared
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  Speaker 1: and the event continued. The Northwestern University Police Department is investigating.
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  Speaker 1: In New York City, Mayor Zoran Mamdani is facing criticism
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  Speaker 1: for a statement issued on the anniversary of the October
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  Speaker 1: 7 massacre. Mamdani, who has vowed to reduce anti-Semitic hate crimes,
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  Speaker 1: issued a statement that acknowledged the Hamas attack as a
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  Speaker 1: war crime, but heavily focused on condemning Israel's response in Gaza.
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  Speaker 1: He stated, We must refuse to accept a world in
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  Speaker 1: which occupation and apartheid continue, where war crimes are met
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  Speaker 1: with impunity. and our federal government continues its complicity with
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  Speaker 1: every arms shipment. According to NIMAG.com, this statement was perceived
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  Speaker 1: as tone-deaf by Jewish leaders, including Representative Dan Goldman, who
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  Speaker 1: noted on social media that the mayor embraced extreme activism
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  Speaker 1: instead of balanced leadership on a day of mourning. Mamdani
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  Speaker 1: was later reportedly confronted by pro-Palestinian protesters at a vigil,
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  Speaker 1: with chants including, Zoran, you can't hide, we charge you
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  Speaker 1: with genocide. Phyllisa Wisdom, who leads the mayor's office to
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  Speaker 1: combat antisemitism, highlighted the administration's commitment to security enhancements and
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  Speaker 1: developing a strategy for dealing with hate. The U.S., Department
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  Speaker 1: of Justice, is intensifying its efforts to combat antisemitism on
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  Speaker 1: college campuses, which Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon described as
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  Speaker 1: breeding grounds for radical ideology and hatred of Jewish people.
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  Speaker 1: Dillon told Newsmax that federal officials have reached settlements with universities,
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  Speaker 1: taken legal action, and launched additional investigations, particularly following October 7, 2023.
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  Speaker 1: She cited legal action against Harvard University and holding Columbia
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  Speaker 1: University accountable as examples, with other institutions under scrutiny. Dillon
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  Speaker 1: characterized the rise of antisemitism on campuses as a concerning trend,
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  Speaker 1: suggesting it's a gateway drug towards totalitarianism. The Department of
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  Speaker 1: Justice plans to launch an American Tour Against Hate initiative
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  Speaker 1: next week. Adding to campus scrutiny, the U.S. Department of
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  Speaker 1: Education has expanded its civil rights investigation into Swarthmore College.
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  Speaker 1: This expansion follows a social media account associated with a
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  Speaker 1: pro-Palestinian student group reposting a video that depicted an effigy
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  Speaker 1: of an Israeli soldier being set on fire. The college
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  Speaker 1: has stated it revoked the pro-Palestinian group's official recognition and
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  Speaker 1: does not control the social media account in question. In Australia,
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  Speaker 1: the New South Wales Men's Labour Government is allocating over
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  Speaker 1: $ 2 million in grants to bolster community cohesion and wellbeing
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  Speaker 1: in Bondi and Sydney's eastern suburbs. The Bondi Community Cohesion
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  Speaker 1: and Wellbeing Grants package aims to support community-led initiatives that
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  Speaker 1: foster belonging and healing following the Bondi Beach Terror attack.
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  Speaker 1: According to NSW.gov.au, The grants prioritize building resilience against antisemitism, hate,
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  Speaker 1: and discrimination. Premier Chris Minns stated, Antisemitism seeks to divide
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  Speaker 1: our communities. Our response is to strengthen the values that
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  Speaker 1: bring us together. The Washington Post reported that a former
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  Speaker 1: staffer for Georgia Senate candidate Mike Collins shared images of
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  Speaker 1: a swastika on his ex-account in June and July. This
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  Speaker 1: incident highlights concerns regarding associations and rhetoric within political campaigns. Finally,
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  Speaker 1: veteran conservative Victor Davis Hansen has advised U.S. Vice President J.D.
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  Speaker 1: Vance that he might jeopardize his 2028 presidential nomination if
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  Speaker 1: he does not publicly sever ties with conservative political pundit
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  Speaker 1: Tucker Carlson. As reported by News.com, Hansen suggested Vance faces
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  Speaker 1: a choice, either disown friends who make controversial statements or
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  Speaker 1: risk his nomination. Carlson has faced accusations of antisemitism, including
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  Speaker 1: comments regarding the war that he stated, this happened because
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  Speaker 1: Israel wanted it to happen. This is Israel's war. Vance, however,
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  Speaker 1: has defended his friendship with Carlson, telling reporters he would
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  Speaker 1: not throw friends under the bus because I have political
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  Speaker 1: disagreements with them. I'm Rachel Adler, thank you for listening
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  Speaker 1: to Antisemitism Watch. For focused coverage from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut,
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  Speaker 1: and the Philadelphia region, listen to Antisemitism Watch. midatlantic at clockworkmedia.org
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  Speaker 1: slash ma. Follow Antisemitism Watch in your podcast app so
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  Speaker 1: you don't miss the next update. This report was generated
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  Speaker 1: with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies. Please verify important
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  Speaker 1: details with primary sources.