Jewish journalist in NYC gets bodyguard after receiving rape, death threats from Palestinian sympathizers
Israel activist and journalist Emily Austin says online death and rape threats forced her to invest in a bodyguard in New York City as tensions escalate over the tumult in the Middle East.
"I'd be lying to you if I told you I didn't get a bodyguard for the next, who knows how long. I got a bodyguard because of my appearances on TV," she told "FOX & Friends" Monday.
"People are sending me my address. People are sending me rape threats, death threats. At first, I thought, 'You know what? They're all in Gaza,' but they're not. I looked into these accounts. They are here in New York."
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The 22-year-old sports reporter's concerns follow growing instances of anti-Israel rhetoric in New York and across the world following Hamas' Oct. 7 attack.
Over the weekend, thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters shut down the Brooklyn Bridge in one of many demonstrations made against Israel.
Additionally, the FBI is investigating violent antisemitic threats posted online about Jewish students at Cornell University.
Abroad, pro-Palestinian protesters stormed a Russian airport seeking out Jewish passengers while shouting anti-Israel sentiments. The uproar escalated and eventually caused the airport to close.
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"I looked into the city where it was taking place. It's right next to the border of Iran. So it's very likely that these were Iranian refugees that grew up hating Jews in Iran and switched dictatorships. Now they're under a Russian dictator, and now they hate Jews, and it's being protected," Austin said.
"And this is the… type of stuff that is tolerated in Russia, this Jew hatred. So it's not shocking to me. I'm just scared that it's America next."
Co-host Lawrence Jones asked Austin if she feels safe as a Jew in America, given the number of antisemitic rhetoric and demonstrations.
"No, I absolutely don't feel safe. And our ‘defund the police’ initiative definitely doesn't make me feel better here in New York," she responded.
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She also lamented the "misinformation" given to many Gen Z Americans, a large portion of which she says comes from social media like TikTok and college professors.
"Having been in college one year ago, I can tell you if I gave them a map, and I told them to point out Israel versus the West Bank versus any country in the Middle East, quite frankly, they have no idea…" she said.
"When there's so much misinformation being spread and with no filter whatsoever, this is where they're acquiring knowledge from and their professors are also spreading that same false narrative. So that's where they get the information from, and they just chant, and they have no clue what they're saying."
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