Today, Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) posted the name, email address, Zoom contact link, and class schedule of a college teaching assistant over a class presentation that referenced “Israeli genocide against Palestinians.”
Torres deemed the teacher a “propagandist” but is facing backlash for publicly sharing her personal information.
In a tweet today, Torres shared a photo of Queens College Women and Gender Studies College Assistant Kayla Reece, in which she is showing a classroom of students an Instagram infographic about “the Israeli genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.”
Torres said Reece taught the infographic on Oct. 7, the first anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, which prompted the invasion of Gaza, which has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians.
The congressman also shared a screenshot of the course’s syllabus, which reveals Reece’s email, her teaching schedule, and where her class meets on campus.
The image includes an attempt to obscure Reece’s office hours Zoom link, but the link is clearly visible.
“A professor could not resist the pathological urge to demonize the Jewish State during the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust,” Torres said of Reece. “Instead of condemning Hamas’ genocidal campaign to murder as many Jews as it could on October 7th, this propagandist pretending to be a professor falsely frames Israel’s war of self-defense as a genocide against Palestinians. Academic malpractice at its most malicious.”
Torres is fervently pro-Israel, which has led him to sever ties with many of his fellow Democrats.
He is now being harshly criticized for doxing Reece.
“A sitting member of Congress is not just targeting a public university professor,” activist group Jews for Racial and Economic Justice tweeted. “He’s publicly shared her contact information: her name, her email, details about her schedule, and didn’t fully redact her zoom contact link.”
“Ritchie Torres projects his own self-hate onto others; this time, he doxxed a CUNY instructor, posting her email and contact information to his followers (I blocked them out),” an X user tweeted. “If you are a tenured CUNY professor, it is your responsibility to speak up and defend your colleague.”
CUNY, or the City University of New York, is New York City’s public university system and includes Queens College.
“Doxing is malicious and the sign of a bully,” a Threads user said. “You are a Zionist fueled bully Ritchie.”
Torres was also called out by former New York representative Yuh-Line Niou, who said Torres was “just being terrible.”
“Demeaning women of color, using ableist language….seen it all before,” Niou tweeted. “Not mindful. Not demure.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Reece and Torres and will update the piece if either respond.
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