Miss Universe Judge Receives Death Threats After Debate Against Palestinian Activist

Emily Austin, a journalist and Miss Universe judge, reported receiving numerous death threats following her appearance on “Piers Morgan Uncensored.”

During the show, which aired on October 24, Austin engaged in a heated debate with Nerdeen Kiswani, a Palestinian activist and anti-Israel advocate.

The discussion centered around the conflict in Gaza, particularly focusing on a recent incident involving a failed rocket launch by Islamic Jihad, which allegedly caused an explosion at the al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City.

Austin questioned Kiswani on various topics, including her stance on the 9/11 attacks. This line of inquiry visibly upset Kiswani, who dismissed the questions as “ridiculous.” Throughout the debate, Kiswani frequently turned to Piers Morgan, questioning why he was not the one asking the questions. She also accused Austin of being a “genocide denier,” a claim Austin refuted, describing it as “child’s play.”

Following the debate, Austin claimed that Kiswani had incited online harassment against her. She described receiving threats on Instagram, where her picture was posted 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 said.

The Anti-Defamation League identifies Kiswani as the leader of Within Our Lifetime-United for Palestine (WOL), a New York-based group known for its support of violence against Israel. Kiswani has advocated for vilifying and expelling “Zionists” from community spaces and called for the dissolution of Israel. She gained notoriety following a commencement speech at CUNY Law in May 2022, where she condemned “Zionists” and criticized trips to Israel.

Post-interview, Austin received a barrage of threatening messages on social media. These included direct threats to her life, harassment and intimidation. One message read, “I will find you and sell you. A Jew like you in Gaza will be expensive $$$.” Another threatened, “I’ll kill you f—ing wh–e. I will hunt you down like we did to Israeli people.” She was also subjected to derogatory names and more explicit threats, such as “You will be killed in the next days.”

Austin’s mother also became a target of malicious messages. Austin stated, “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.”

In response to the threats, Austin contacted the FBI, who are investigating the messages. She has also hired private security.