Pia Bernstein, 27, has received death and rape threats and has been a victim of a social media hate campaign on her German university campus, according to a BILD interview with the Jewish student published on Friday.
During a discussion on antisemitism at her university, Goethe University in Frankfurt, she alleged she was pushed against the wall of her lecture hall - in an attack which left her shoulder injured.
The young student also said she received messages from anonymous individuals threatening to behead and or rape her.
"When I leave the lecture hall, I am always stalked. I am also filmed. Everything to intimidate me,” she told the German paper.
Bernstein’s photograph has been shared on social media, according to screenshots shared by the German newspaper. In one such image, the text “This person thinks it’s perfectly fine to kill Palestinian babies because their grandparents survived the Holocaust. What do we think?” was edited above her head.
Bernstein condemned the post as “sick” asserting that she had Palestinian friends.
In one of the many hateful messages shared by Bernstein, an anonymously sent message read “Inshallah, you will be shot…You should die…Your whole f***ing Israel…”
Who is behind the campaign of hate?
The Jewish student alleged, based on her own investigations, that those behind the social media hate campaign are the same behind the pro-Palestinian demonstrations being carried out on campus - and many had become known to the police.
In response to the threats and harassment, Bernstein told BILD she filed over 60 police complaints which are still being investigated. Despite her involvement with authorities, she claimed that only a fine of €300 was issued against her harassers and the arrest of one man who threatened her with a gun on a video call.
Bernstein’s lawyer Jürgen Illing said, "It is a threatening situation that shapes her daily life."
Pro-Palestinian campus activities
Goethe University, like many universities, has seen an increase in pro-Palestinian demonstrations since October 7 2023, when Hamas invaded southern Israel and murdered some 1200 people.
Last month, the university canceled the talk "Talking about (the Silencing of) Palestine. On its Epistemological and Political Challenges” - alleging the organizers had failed to properly identify themselves and engage with the university.
The university claimed that while the organizers advertised the event from the Autumn term of 2024, they remained anonymous and failed to contact the university about a room reservation until hours before the campus was due to suspend for winter break.
“Science needs openness and transparency. To date, the organizers have failed to establish any contact with the university management – the room reservation by our researcher aside,” explained Goethe University President Prof. Enrico Schleiff. “Goethe University researchers planning a conference of this size know how and with what lead time they have to book rooms, especially during the lecture period. The request was handled like any other room request, swiftly and in accordance with the university-wide regulations.”
The university has demanded in previous interactions with pro-Palestinian groups on campus that they name at least one representative as the institute will not interact with "anonymous actors."
The university also added a pre-condition that any meeting between groups and the institutions would be carried out under the pre-condition that Hamas was recognized as a terror organization.
Despite demanding a meeting before the university issued its terms, the university claims it has not received a response from the letter dated May 26, 2024.