Posted in Antisemitism

Being Terrified

Posted on by debthumanblog

I wrote and submitted to the court a victim impact statement. This is the statement:

Deborah Lee Thuman 

Attorney at Law

PO Box 68

Las Cruces, New Mexico 88004

Re: M-14-202400807

State of New Mexico 

V 

Jonah Payton Holguin 

This is a victim impact statement. I would be present during the July 29, 2024 hearing, but I injured my achilles tendon and I’m having difficulty getting around. 

There’s more to this case than would appear from the police report. This is part of an ongoing attack on Jewish students at New Mexico State University. 

To fully understand the situation, there needs to be some history provided. 

– Israel left Gaza in 2005.

– Hamas, an internationally recognized terrorist group, won a majority of the government seats in the 2006 election. 

– Hamas won every government seat in the 2007 election. 

– There have been no elections in Gaza since. Hamas stays in power by incarcerating, torturing and murdering anyone who dissents or is suspected of dissenting. 

After the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, the leader of Hamas stated that his purpose in starting a war was to kill Jews and eliminate Israel. He also stated he hoped the other Arab nations would join him. Palestinians have nothing to do with this war although clearly they are caught in the middle. 

The Anti-Defamation League, hereinafter ADL, is an organization dedicated to documenting antisemitic attacks in the United States. The ADL has uncovered an email from the Ayatollah Khamenei which states in part: “Yesterday, the Ayatollah Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, the largest exporter of antisemitic terror in the world, tweeted “Dear university students in the United States of America, this message is an expression of our empathy & solidarity with you.” Not to be outdone, the al-Qaeda senior command issued a statement: “While we support the assassination of the infidel Zionists and the beheading of them, we also appreciate and value the movement of Western demonstrators and sit-in students from Western universities.”

The ADL sent me a link to the following AP article: 

“Iran encourages Gaza war protests in US to stoke outrage and distrust, intelligence chief says

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FILE – People walk past the Gaza Solidarity Encampment at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Tuesday, April 30, 2024. In the wake of pro-Palestinian protesters on college campuses calling for universities to divest from Israel, Pennsylvania’s state Senate on Thursday, June 27, 2024, approved legislation that would block state aid from going to any university that boycotts or divests from Israel. (Monica Herndon/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP, File)

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Iranian government is covertly encouraging American protests over Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza in a bid to stoke outrage ahead of the fall election, the nation’s top intelligence official said Tuesday.

Using social media platforms popular in the U.S., groups linked to Tehran have posed as online activists, encouraged protests and have provided financial support to some protest groups, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said in a statement.

“Iran is becoming increasingly aggressive in their foreign influence efforts, seeking to stoke discord and undermine confidence in our democratic institutions,” Haines said.

This effort noted by the top U.S. intelligence official is the latest evidence that America’s adversaries are harnessing the internet to warp domestic debates and widen political divides ahead of the election.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said it was important to warn Americans to help them “guard against efforts by foreign powers to take advantage of or coopt their legitimate protest activities.”

She also warned Iran that “meddling in our politics and seeking to stoke division is unacceptable.”

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In recent years, Iran, Russia and China have all refined their abilities to use online bots and networks of fake social media accounts to amplify divisive debates within the U.S. over immigration, shootings by police, COVID-19, environmental catastrophes, and even Chinese spy balloons.

What to know about the 2024 Election

In most cases, these influence campaigns exploit existing social conflicts, and Haines noted Tuesday that Americans participating in protests over Israel’s conduct in Gaza have a right to express their views. But she said Americans need to know when foreign actors are trying to meddle in domestic American politics.

“Americans who are being targeted by this Iranian campaign may not be aware that they are interacting with or receiving support from a foreign government,” Haines said.

Demonstrations over Israel’s offensives in Gaza emerged on university campuses across the country in recent months. The protests quickly became a factor in political campaigns and prompted concerns about antisemitism and the role of “outside agitators ” as well as worries about a larger regional conflict between Israel and Iran.

Iran isn’t the only nation seeking to influence American discourse ahead of the 2024 election. During a briefing with reporters Tuesday, intelligence officials said America’s adversaries will look to harness the latest artificial intelligence to dramatically expand the reach and penetration of election misinformation.

The officials — from agencies including the FBI and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence — spoke with reporters on condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the office of the director.

Russia remains the greatest threat, according to the officials, who said the Kremlin is mounting a government-wide effort to spread election disinformation ahead of the 2024 race. Russia has already sought to exploit debates over immigration as part of its strategy to undermine international support for Ukraine.

Russia is also seeking to cover its tracks by laundering its disinformation through supposedly independent news sites and American influencers who may not know they are parroting Russian talking points.

The officials declined to answer directly when asked if Russia preferred a particular presidential candidate but pointedly noted that the country’s preference remained unchanged from prior election cycles, when Russia was assessed by the U.S. intelligence community to have worked to try to get Republican candidate Donald Trump elected.

While China mounted a sprawling disinformation campaign ahead of Taiwan’s recent election, the nation has been more cautious in its use of disinformation targeting Americans this year. Officials said Tuesday that China shows no indication that it will try to influence the presidential race.

China, one official said, doesn’t see a benefit in choosing between candidates who are both seen as trying to curb its power.

Sen. Mark Warner, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has said the U.S. may be more vulnerable to foreign disinformation this year than it was before the 2020 election. He thanked the intelligence community for holding Tuesday’s briefing as a way to inform the public about the threat.

“Social media, in particular, continues to be a popular vector for foreign covert influence attempts, and our adversaries remain focused on stoking social, racial, and political tensions among Americans,” said Warner, D-Virginia.

Associated Press writer Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this report.”

I have been the victim of the students camping out claiming to support Palestinians. I was surrounded, terrorized, threatened and physically attacked on May 6, 2024 when I attempted to photograph the encampment. I was approximately 100 yards from the encampment and posed no threat to the students. Jonah Holguin was one of the students who attacked me. He’s also one who called the campus police in an attempt to have me arrested. Although his own video and a video from a security camera installed on a nearby building clearly showed I was no threat to the students and was being attacked by them, the campus police did nothing other than to put my home address in a police report. Body cameral video and any audio recording done by the police officer clearly shows I was promised that my address would be redacted. I knew that was wrong as soon as I heard it. In 30 years as a criminal defense attorney, I never saw a redacted police report. Now, I live in fear that these terrorist wannabes, urged on by documented terrorist organizations will show up at my front door and vandalize my home, and/or injure myself, my husband and my service dog. 

These are the same students who occupied the administration building, damaged the building and terrorized the university president. 

This is not the first time I was on the receiving end of a hate crime solely because I’m Jewish. I reported the incident to the campus police and provided proof of the crime to them. They did nothing. As a result, I have had to form a safety plan to attend class and I must be armed with bear spray and a stun gun at all times when I’m on campus. 

Part of the job of being a judge is to protect the public. This is done at sentencing. While it is the job of the campus police to protect students, they are deliberately not protecting Jewish students.  Jonah Holguin didn’t go to class during the encampment. He didn’t go to class while trespassing in the administration building. He doesn’t care about being a student. What his actions clearly show is that he is a violent individual and a danger to every Jewish student on the NMSU campus. Therefore, probation to “allow him to attend classes” would be a corruption of justice. He deserves a jail sentence. I ask that you take a step to protect Jewish students on the NMSU campus by imposing the maximum jail sentence. 

Respectfully submitted, 

Deborah Lee Thuman

Attorney at Law

Cc: Anti-Defamation League

      Jewish On Campus

Chabad House

Unfortunately, this case is before an antisemitic judge. When I submitted a notice of unavailability so I could observe the High Holy Days, this judge made derisive comments in open court. I said I was available to appear on Christmas, but the judge still persisted in making derisive comments. I have no illusions that there will be justice for anyone in this case. Although I do have difficulty getting around, my reason for not being present in court is I do not have the emotional wherewithal to be in the same room with the defendant or to hear yet more antisemitic crap from this judge.

Classes start in a month. I want to take a painting class and a writing class. I’m terrified. I’m terrified that I will be attacked again. I’m terrified I will be the object of yet another hate crime with the perpetrator(s) being protected by an official policy of police inactivity with regard to protecting Jewish students on campus.

I hate living like this.

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Author:

I retired from the Public Defender Dept. November 12, 2015 after 16 health destroying years. Now, I'm a full time multi-media artist and writer on a new adventure. As an artist, I create with beads, fabric, fiber, and ceramic clay. Sometimes separately; sometimes in assorted combinations. You can find my on-line store at: www.debthumanart.com.