University of Pennsylvania president Elizabeth Magill informed the campus community on Monday that a small group of staff members have received antisemitic messages threatening violence and said the FBI is now involved.
Specifically, Penn Hillel and Lauder College House were named in the threats, according to Magill.
“These messages also included hateful language, targeting the personal identities of the recipients. Penn’s Division of Public Safety was immediately notified and responded. Penn Police also notified the FBI of this potential hate crime, and a joint investigation is underway,” she said.
Campus police investigated both locations and “found no credible threat” but Penn Police will remain for the time being and security throughout the entire campus will be increased.
At a time when campuses across the country are being targeted with these types of threats, my first and highest priority is the safety and security of our community. Threats of violence are not tolerated at Penn and will be met with swift and forceful action. Penn Public Safety is working urgently with the FBI to identify the individual or individuals who are responsible for these hateful, threatening emails and to ensure they are apprehended and punished to the fullest extent of the law. As I shared last week, Penn Police and Allied security continue to provide increased security to Penn Hillel, the Katz Center, Lubavitch House, and other religious and cultural spaces, as well as at all rallies, protests, vigils, and other campus gatherings.
The perniciousness of antisemitic acts on our campus is causing deep hurt and fear for our Jewish students, faculty, and staff and shaking their sense of safety and belonging at Penn. This is intolerable. I condemn personally these vicious and hateful antisemitic acts and words. (Statement from Magill)
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The threats come after Penn faced backlash from donors over its response to the Hamas terror attack on Israel last month, which the furious benefactors noted came weeks after the university hosted the Palestine Writers Literature Festival. Penn has since announced that it would review "the process by which groups external to Penn can reserve space and host events on campus."
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