Brandon Jones, the president of the Republican Club at San Diego State University, has reported that he has received Death threats after asking the president of the school’s Muslim club to condemn the violent terrorist attacks that occurred in Barcelona last week.
The statement, which Jones posted to Facebook, called for the Muslim Student Association to take a stand against radical Islam, saying until they do so “we cannot move forward in creating an inclusive environment for all students on campus” and asked for leaders of the group to step down if they found themselves unable to comply.
Fiery response
It should be noted that, in the aftermath of the violence in Charlottesville, similar letters were sent to Republican and Conservative groups around the country, nearly all of which were more than happy to condemn the actions of neo-Nazis and white supremacists.
Jones’ request, however, was attacked immediately by a number of groups on campus, who seemingly were unable to see the parallels between the Republican request and their own demands only days prior. A student group known as the Young Democratic Socialists called the memo a “cruel and bigoted attack,” before going on to claim that it made Muslims students feel in danger at the school, while others called for the Republican club to be put on probation and for administrative action to be levied upon its members.
Personal attacks
The worst, however, came in the form of messages directed directly at Mr. Jones himself. Among other threats, the Republican club president received a text message telling him to rot in hell and promising to cause him and other college Republicans physical harm, saying the "SDSU campus will be the war zone against u inhuman rats,” as well a number of emails demanding that he vacate his position as president of the Republican club immediately, some going so far as to tell him to commit suicide because of the things he said in his letter. He also received phone calls from several individuals demanding his resignation and promising that they will do all they can to see him expelled from school.
The Dean of Students at the university, as well as campus police, both reached out to Mr. Jones, offering the protection of campus security to ensure that he never felt unsafe going to or from his classes. Mr. Jones, for his part, remains committed to the Republican club and seems to stand unafraid of the threats that have been hurled at him.