BLOOMINGTON, Ind — An Indiana University sophomore was accused of hate speech and racism after saying in a now-deleted viral TikTok that her Palestinian neighbor "wants to like, kill" her, and that she would not have let him enter her apartment if she had known he was Palestinian.
The video drew widespread condemnation from the public and organizations who called on the university to respond more forcefully to the video.
The student, who identified herself as being affiliated with IU’s Kelley School of Business, posted a "get ready with me" style video entitled "story time of how I found out my next-door neighbor is from Palestine" as she seemingly prepared for a night out on Sept. 1.
“So, if you did not know, my next door neighbor — my apartment like, my apartment neighbor — is from Palestine. And my entire floor is like, all AEPi guys, all Jewish guys. But, happens to be the one person right next to me is from Palestine,” she said in the video, referencing the Jewish fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi.
While putting on makeup, the student explained how she was getting ready to go out a night prior when her next-door neighbor, who she claimed to have never seen before, knocked on her apartment door to introduce himself. Her roommates later invited him to a pregame at her apartment, where they began talking about AEPi parties.
The student said she then showed her neighbor a Jewish star necklace that she always wore. Her neighbor left shortly after the conversation and, according to the video observed by 13News, went back to his apartment. Sometime after, her roommate reportedly informed her that their neighbor was from Palestine.
“She’s just casually like, yeah, like, he's from Palestine. And I'm like, what? Like, literally my jaw is, like, dropping,” the student explained in the video as she applied lip liner.
When her roommate asked “why that was a big deal,” the student said she asked if they “know anything” in reference to the Israel-Palestine conflict.
“He probably wants to, like, kill me right now. Like, I was just out there like, talking proudly about being Jewish — which obviously, I'm very proud to be Jewish. I love being Jewish, but I would have kicked that guy out. I wouldn't even open the door for him if I had known that he was from Palestine, let alone like, let him in and have a whole conversation,” the student said in the video.
She went onto say her neighbor had offered to help her get into the Investment Banking Workshop at IU. While she believed that joining the workshop was necessary to help her secure a job after graduation, she still would not invite him back to her apartment even though he offered to help.
“He’s not allowed back in here ever again,” the student said, before lamenting that her next-door neighbor was Palestinian when she “could have had any AEPi” on her floor.
The student then pulled out pepper spray and said if her neighbor ever came near her, she would be “ready to go.”
13News is not naming the student who created the video because she does not currently face criminal charges, and IU officials would not specify what, if any, disciplinary action she faces on the part of the university or the Kelley School of Business.
The video was deleted shortly after it was posted. However, copies circulated throughout the community and on social media, igniting outrage from people who decried the student's video as racist, threatening and violent.
On Sept. 6, a photo showing officials going through training at IU for emergency situations was posted to the university's official Instagram page.
Hundreds of users called on IU to hold the student accountable and called her out by name.
"It is strikingly ironic to post about safety measures for students and their communities while the recent racist and violent threats made by your student (redacted) remain unaddressed. As an alum I am disappointed to see that the progress this institution claims to be making with regards to diversity, equity and inclusion is entirely performative," one user wrote.
"We are waiting to hear updates on (redacted)'s blatant racism and what your plans are to hold her accountable. She has publicly threatened the safety of one of your students on account of his ethnic identity. Should we start telling Arab and Muslim high schoolers (or other POC) to reconsider coming to your university?" another commented under the post.
Two days after that post, the IU Middle Eastern Student Association, or MESA, also responded to the incident and called on the university to take appropriate steps to ensure the safety of Palestinian students on campus.
"Threatening someone publicly with violence due to their ethnicity is a hate crime. No student at this university should think this conduct is acceptable. The Palestinian student is, at his core, a member of our IU community. He deserves respect, safety and dignity like everyone else," the organization said.
By Wednesday, representatives with IU had still not confirmed whether the sophomore student was still enrolled at the university, citing the federal Family Education Rights and Privacy Act, which limits what information public universities can release about students without their consent.
The Dean of Students Office and IU Bias Response and Education teams were reportedly aware of the situation and "took action in accordance with university policy and procedure," according to the university.
“Indiana University is committed to ensuring all students, staff and faculty feel welcomed, valued, safe and supported. Behavior that involves acts of discrimination, hate, harassment, retaliation, threats or engagement, has no place in the IU community,” the university said in a statement sent to 13News via email, which had already been made public by the time of our report.
Last week, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, an organization based out of Washington, D.C., also called on IU to take action against the student who threatened to pepper spray her Palestinian neighbor.
“IU must unequivocally condemn the threatening video posted by an Indiana University student targeting another Palestinian student. No student should ever face threats or intimidation due to their heritage or identity. ADC demands that IU take action against hateful anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian rhetoric on campus. Such acts of aggression undermine the very foundation of our educational system, and we expect nothing less than a robust response from the university to ensure the safety and well-being of all its students," the organization said.
The sophomore student was reportedly part of the Woman in Business Technology organization at IU when she posted the video. A spokesperson for that organization confirmed to 13News the sophomore is no longer affiliated with the organization as of Wednesday, and they too condemned her actions in a statement posted to Instagram.
