Cornell University on high alert, FBI notified after 'horrendous' antisemitic threats shake campus

Cornell University was on high alert on Sunday, October 29, after several antisemitic messages threatened the Jewish community of the school. The messages were reportedly posted on a public forum.

“Earlier today, a series of horrendous, antisemitic messages threatening violence to our Jewish community and specifically naming 104 West — the home of the Center for Jewish Living — was posted on a website unaffiliated with Cornell. Law enforcement was immediately notified,” Cornell University President Martha E. Pollack said in an online statement.

At the time, Cornell Police were on the site to investigate the matter, and will continue to remain on site. The FBI has also been notified of a “potential hate crime.” In an Instagram post, students were urged to avoid the building.

“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. Our immediate focus is on keeping the community safe; we will continue to prioritize that,” Martha said.

Martha added, “We will not tolerate antisemitism at Cornell. During my time as president, I have repeatedly denounced bigotry and hatred, both on and off our campus. The virulence and destructiveness of antisemitism is real and deeply impacting our Jewish students, faculty and staff, as well as the entire Cornell community. This incident highlights the need to combat the forces that are dividing us and driving us toward hate. This cannot be what defines us at Cornell.”

Governor Kathy Hochul took to X to condemn the hateful messages and assure that required steps will be taken for students’ safety. “The disgusting & hateful posts on a message board about Jewish @Cornell students is the latest in a series of concerning incidents on college campuses. While it is unclear if these are credible threats, @nyspolice is engaged & we’ll take any steps needed to keep students safe,” she wrote.

When Cornell University’s New York campus was defaced

Just last week, Cornell University’s New York campus was reportedly vandalised with hateful anti-Israel graffiti. Some of the messages read “F–k Israel” and “Zionism = Racism.”

As per The Cornell Review, the graffiti began on campus sidewalks of the Ithaca Ivy League school sometime after 9 am. Other statements written to deface the sidewalks were “Israel is Fascist” and “Free Palestine.”

University workers later cleaned up the spray paint. Who made the graffiti remains unclear.

This came shortly after a professor of Cornell University who came under fire for his comments on the Hamas attack in Israel reportedly took a leave of absence from the school. A viral video showed Russell Rickford saying the Hamas attack was “exhilarating” and “energising.” Russell, an associate professor of history at the school in Ithaca, New York, made the comments at a pro-Palestinian protest.