"Zionists are Nazis": Lecturer at prestigious US institution attacked Jewish students - and was arrested
A lecturer at Haverford College, Guangtian Ha, was arrested and charged with online harassment and intimidation of an antisemitic nature. The college placed him on administrative leave. The arrest followed extreme statements by Ha against Zionism and Israel, in which he called Zionists "Nazis" and called for the dismantling of the state.
Haverford College in Pennsylvania announced that Professor Guangtian Ha, a lecturer in religious studies, was arrested and charged with online harassment and intimidation. College President Wendy Raymond stated that the online attacks attributed to him were of an antisemitic nature, and announced his placement on administrative leave and a ban from campus during the criminal proceedings. Ha was on sabbatical and not teaching this year. The college's statement did not detail the content of the attacks or the identity of the victims. The arrest followed harsh statements by Ha against Israel and Zionism, documented in a letter from the chairman of the US House Education Committee from June 2025. In an August 2024 post, Ha wrote that the State of Israel should be dismantled and its society undergo denazification, and that "Zionism is Nazism, it is fascism. Zionists are racists." A civil lawsuit against the college documented additional statements, including implied threats against those he said remained silent in the face of "genocide." Jewish students viewed his words as threatening. The college offered mental health support and noted that the timing of the incident near the High Holidays and the third anniversary of the October 7 massacre amplified the harm.