Who is Jemma Decristo? UC Davis Professor Zionist tweet controversy sparks outrage online

UC Davis Professor Jemma Decristo is under fire over a social media post threatening violence against "Zionist journalists" warning there’s easy access to Jewish journalists in the United States who spread propaganda and misinformation.

Decristo, who is still employed by UC Davis, went on to seemingly threaten the Jewish Journalist's families. Decristo said that the journalists have “addresses (and) kids in school” before ominously noting that they should “fear us more” and followed it up with emojis showing a knife, axe and drops of blood.

"One group of ppl we have easy access to in the US are all these Zionist journalists who spread propaganda & misinformation… they have houses and addresses, kids in school… they can fear their bosses, but they should fear us more."

The professor's remark on X, formerly known as Twitter, which was posted three days after Palestine militant group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, received widespread attention online this week amid a series of nationwide anti-Israel and anti-Zionism campus demonstrations.

The Pro-Palestine demonstrations United States were spurred when a faction "Students for Justice in Palestine" called on all its university chapters to celebrate a “historic win for Palestinian Resistance,’’ after hundreds of Israelis were killed in Hamas' surprise attack on Israel.

Israel subsequently launched airstrikes on Gaza where 4,137 Palestinians have died, according to officials in Gaza, the AP said. Meanwhile, the outlet reported that 1,400 people in Israel have been killed as of Friday, October 20.

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Jemma Decristo is an assistant professor in American studies and African-American studies

According to state payroll records cited in the Sacramento Bee, Jemma Decristo, an assistant professor in American studies and African American studies, has been at UC Davis since at least 2019. According to the outlet, Decristo was a literature post-doctorate graduate of UC San Diego before she was employed at Davis.

In the wake of UC Davis professor Jemma Decristo’s remarks threatening Jewish journalists in the United States, the chancellor of the University, Gary S. May, issued a statement Thursday, October 19. In the statement he condemned the “revolting” statement signalling violence and discrimination, noting that it does not reflect UC Davis’ values.

"I absolutely condemn the posts attributed to a UC Davis faculty member that recently appeared on the social media platform X," he wrote. UC Davis rejects all forms of violence and discrimination, as they are antithetical to the values of our university. We strive to foster a climate of equity and justice built on mutual understanding and respect for all members of the community."

While the statement did not confirm if Jemma Decristo was terminated. May revealed that the university was investigating whether Decristo had violated the faculty code of conduct, adding that the ongoing review is confidential.

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Jemma Decristo's post triggers widespread backlash

As UC Davis refused to disclose the details of their investigations into professor Jemma Decristo’s conduct, social media users on X slammed Descristo for the "threatening" post, calling for her arrest and dismissal.

In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, American right-wing author and social media influencer Andy NGO, who identified Jemma Decristo as a “far-left trans assistant professor” said that the educator was formerly named Jeramy Marcus Decristo. It should be noted that we do not have confirmation on the same.

Ngo also claimed that Jemma Decristo, whose X profile has been turned private, praised the attacks on U.S. Embassies after the bombing of Gaza hospital that she allegedly believed was carried out by Israel.

However, Israel has denied involvement in the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital attack and said an errant rocket fired by the armed group Palestinian Islamic Jihad was responsible for the explosion. However, Palestine denied the assertion and blamed an Israeli strike for the explosion at the hospital. In the days leading up to the explosion, Israel ordered over a million Palestinians in Gaza to evacuate to the southern part of the Strip.

Meanwhile, investigations carried out by Al Jazeera revealed glaring discrepancies in Israel’s narrative about the hospital explosion. Shortly after the explosion Israel claimed the Palestinian rocket that supposedly hit the hospital was fired from the southwest. However, Al Jazeera reported conclusions of two analyses published on Friday, October 20, that found the weapon that hit the hospital was fired from the direction of Israel.

In a post on X, Formerly known as Twitter, a digital aide to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wrote, “Israeli Air Force struck a Hamas terrorist base inside a hospital in Gaza,” but the post was immediately deleted.

However, it should be noted despite circumstantial investigative findings, there is no concrete evidence that ties Israel to the Gaza hospital explosion that killed 400 civilians.