Journalist speaks out on death threats following Piers Morgan interview
Emily Austin hired private security and contacted the FBI after the online messages flooded in.
A Miss Universe judge says she received numerous death threats after she sparred with a Palestinian activist on air over the war in Gaza.
Emily Austin, who is a Jewish journalist and engages in activism related to Israel, joined "Piers Morgan Uncensored" on October 24 to discuss the ongoing conflict.
The segment quickly devolved when Austin confronted Nerdeen Kiswani, an anti-Israel activist, who cast doubt on intel that claimed an Islamic Jihad's failed rocket launch was responsible for the al-Ahli Baptist Hospital blast in Gaza City.
Austin also asked Kiswani if she condemned 9/11, a topic that angered the Palestinian activist who called the line of questioning "ridiculous."
Journalist and Miss Universe judge Emily Austin said she received death threats after her appearance on Piers Morgan. (Twitter/Screenshot/Fox News)
During the back and forth, Kiswani repeatedly turned to Piers Morgan and asked why he was not dealing out the questions instead.
Kiswani also called Austin a "genocide denier," a moniker that she denied and labeled as "child's play."
Austin suggested that Kiswani had instigated online harassment against her by posting her picture with a red triangle over her head.
"I really tried to keep it fact-based, unemotional, like this is what this is. She was yelling. She was talking over me, threatening me on Instagram with, like, a red arrow over my head, telling people how funny it was to put a bounty on my head. That's not so funny," Austin told Fox News Digital.
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Nerdeen Kiswani from NYC Students for Justice in Palestine ((Photo by Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Images))
According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Kiswani is the leader of Within Our Lifetime-United for Palestine (WOL), a radical New York-based group that routinely expresses support for violence against Israel.
She has called for "Zionists" to be vilified and expelled from community spaces and has advocated for the dissolution of Israel.
Kiswani became widely known after she delivered a May 2022 commencement speech for CUNY Law in which she excoriated "Zionists" and condemned "normalizing" trips to Israel.
Austin said she was "embarrassed" for Kiswani and shocked to learn the activist was also a lawyer.
Following the interview, Austin received numerous direct messages (DMs) on social media that included threats against her life, intimidation and harassment.
"I will find you and sell you. A Jew like you in Gaza will be expensive $$$," one user wrote.
"I'll kill you f---ing wh--e. I will hunt you down like we did to Israeli people," another said.
Several users called her names such as "stupid Jewish b---h" and "f---ing lying piece of s—t."
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Emily Austin attends Algemeiner 2023 J100 Gala at Capitale Bowery on October 25, 2023 in New York City. (Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)
One account said she "deserved" a bullet between her eyes, while another hoped Austin would be raped and killed.
Other messages contained even more direct threats against her life.
"You will be killed in the next days," one account wrote in a DM.
Another account posted multiple pictures of Austin with messages that read "Watch your back" and "I'm gonna get you."
Austin revealed that her mother was also badgered with malicious text messages.
"People are now violating my privacy, searching for my house address online and posting it or telling me I'm going to dox you if you don't do X, Y, Z. And it's like I don't succumb to fear, that that's not who I am. Like, you can threaten me all you want," Austin said.
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After receiving messages from council members and members of Congress concerned about the online harassment and threats, Austin contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
"They're investigating every single DM, every single post. And I'm really thankful they're so hands-on and one phone call away 24/7," Austin added.
She has since hired private security over the online threats.
Kiswani did not return Fox News Digital's request for comment.
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