A Georgia high school teacher was arrested for allegedly threatening to cut off the head of a Muslim student who objected to an Israeli flag in his classroom.
Benjamin Reese, 51, a seventh-grade social studies teacher at Warner Robbins Middle School, was arrested last Friday on charges of making a terroristic threat and cruelty to children, WMAZ reported.
Several people reported hearing him shout threats after a girl confronted him in a hallway and told him she found the flag in her room offensive “because Israelis kill Palestinians,” according to an incident report.
“You fucking piece of sh*t! I’ll kick your ass! I should cut off your damn king’s head! He reportedly screamed after accusing the girl of being anti-Semitic.
Several students said they heard Reese also say that he would “slit his fucking throat, drag his ass outside and cut off his head.”
The teacher, who has not returned to campus since the alleged threats, told the girl that he is Jewish and has relatives in Israel, according to the documents.
Benjamin Reese, 51, is charged with making a terroristic threat and cruelty to children. Warner Robins High School
“You don’t make an anti-Semitic comment like that to a Jew,” a faculty member heard Reese say, according to the incident report. The student responded negatively but was not yelling, according to the report.
A deputy interviewed several witnesses, including teachers and students. Surveillance video showed Reese yelling and returning to her classroom, but there was no audio, WMAZ said.
When the officer asked him if he had threatened the students, Reese became defensive and denied speaking to anyone, according to the report.
The teacher then said he told a student who was offended by the flag that he was being anti-Semitic, but denied saying anything racist.
He then said he had “nothing more” to say and “invoked his civil rights.”
The incident at Warner Robins High School occurred at a time of intense tensions during the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Google main view
In a statement to WMAZ, the school system said: “All Houston County School District employees are required to follow the Educator Code of Ethics.
“If there is a violation or accusation of rape, we investigate and respond appropriately. “While we cannot discuss specific personnel matters, we can share that Mr. Reese has not been on the Warner Robins High School campus since December 7, 2023,” the statement read.
A judge set Reese’s bail at $2,500 on the terroristic threat charge and $5,000 on the cruelty charge. Reese has been released.
The incident occurred at a time of intense tensions during the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
There have been numerous partial incidents of anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim behavior following the Hamas attack on October 7 and amid Israel’s offensive in Gaza.
“We welcome the swift action against Benjamin Reese, including charges and arrest in connection with the horrific threats he allegedly made to a child,” Azka Mahmood, executive director of CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations), told CNN. ) of Georgia, in a statement. statement.
“We hope that the Board of Education will take appropriate steps to ensure that, if this teacher indeed made the comments of which he is accused, he will not be allowed to return to classrooms where he could cause immeasurable harm to Muslim, Arab, and Muslim students. Palestinians. ” she added.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn