NY Dem Speaks Out Against Antisemitism In Colleges After Threats

(ConservativeSense.com) – New York Democrat Rep. Ritchie Torres called a recent series of antisemitic posts from a Cornell University student “horrifying.” Patrick Dai, 21, is a junior at the Ivy League university. He was arrested on Tuesday, October 31st, for posting violent threats, including a threat to “shoot up 104 West.” 104 West is a Cornell cafeteria that offers kosher options. It’s located next to the Jewish Center on campus.

The charges against him carry a maximum penalty of five years in jail and a $250,000 fine.

Torres highlighted how the posts dehumanized Jews by referring to them as “excrement” and “rats.” Torres called on academia to reign in radical antisemitic sentiments, suggesting there was a “rot of antisemitism” in universities and colleges around the country.

Torres offered words of commendation for Cornell University President Martha Pollack for publishing “a crystal-clear” statement against the posts, wherein she alluded to the fact that police were investigating Dai’s alleged posts. In her statement, Pollack also indicated that the FBI was notified as well.

Torres also called out the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) for organizing a protest against him in the wrong congressional district. He called the DSA a group of “trust-fund babies and hipsters” and said they know nothing about how to win elections in the Bronx, which is why they’ve never won one.

Dai’s alleged threats followed in the days after an associate professor of history, Russell Rickford, celebrated the Hamas October 7th strikes on Israel, saying he was “energized” and “exhilarated” by the scale of their success. Rickford has since taken a voluntary leave of absence, according to comments given to Fox News Digital by university officials.

Rickford said that Hamas had “shifted the balance of power” and destroyed the “illusion of [Israel’s] invincibility.” He further said that supporting Hamas was not required to make that observation. He ultimately ended up apologizing, but that apology was also criticized for its failure to condemn Hamas.