She tweeted about protesting Kamala Harris at the DNC. Then the K-Hive called the Feds
Days before the Democratic National Convention kicked off in Chicago, a university professor innocuously tweeted her excitement about the upcoming protests against the Gaza war outside the United Center, triggering a firestorm.
“Oh Kamala is NOT ready for Chicago. But don’t worry; we’re ready for her,” Eman Abdelhadi, an activist and professor of sociology at the University of Chicago, wrote.
Just minutes later, Kamala Harris supporters replied that they had reported her to the Feds.
“The@SecretService &@FBI have just entered the chat because this seems like a real threat against the Vice President of the United States,” wrote one.
“I reported it/her and flagged the FBI Secret Service and FBI Chicago field office don’t play with K-Hive,” wrote another in response, referencing the nickname Harris’s online supporters go by.
Abdelhadi, who is Palestinian, was shocked that her seemingly inoffensive tweet was being depicted as a violent threat.
“I think it’s very clear that if I weren’t Muslim, if I weren’t Palestinian, if I weren’t Arab, that none of this would have happened,” she told The Independent.
She also saw the jump to suspicion as a painful reminder of the way Muslim Americans have been treated by Americans for decades, especially after the September 11 attacks in 2001.
“I don’t think it’s an accident that they called the FBI. It was like ‘this is who’s supposed to deal with you people when you get rowdy,’” she added.
Nine days later, Abdelhadi got a phone call from the Chicago FBI office. The words “US Government” flashed up on caller ID. She was too afraid to answer.
“Good morning, I’m looking to speak with Professor Abdelhadi,” the man who identified himself as an FBI agent said on the voicemail. “Your name