- A man was charged in connection with anti-LGBTQ threats made against Merriam-Webster.
- Jeremy David Hanson, 34, was arrested and charged with interstate communication of threats to commit violence.
- The US Attorney's Office accused Hanson of threatening that the publisher's "headquarters should be shot up and bombed."
A California man was arrested and charged in connection with anti-LGBTQ threats made against dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster.
Jeremy David Hanson, a 34-year-old from Rossmoor, California, was arrested on April 20 and charged with one count of interstate communication of threats to commit violence, United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Rachael Rollins said in a press release.
Hanson is accused of sending a series of threatening messages to Merriam-Webster, which led to the publisher closing its offices in Springfield, Massachusetts and New York City for several days, according to the release.
On October 2, 2021, Hanson allegedly used the handle "@anonYmous" to post a comment under Merriam-Webster's definition of "female." Of several definitions of the word listed by the dictionary, one is "having a gender identity that is opposite of male."
"It is absolutely sickening that Merriam-Webster now tells blatant lies and promotes anti-science propaganda," Hanson is accused of writing. "There is no such thing as 'gender identity.' The imbecile who wrote this entry should be hunted down and shot."
In another message on the "Contact Us" page of Merriam-Webster's website, Hanson is accused of writing: "You [sic] headquarters should be shot up and bombed. It is sickening that you have caved to the cultural Marxist, anti-science tranny [sic] agenda and altered the definition of 'female' as part of the Left's efforts to corrupt and degrade the English language and deny reality. You evil Marxists should all be killed. It would be poetic justice to have someone storm your offices and shoot up the place, leaving none of you commies alive."
In messages on October 8, 2021, Hanson is accused of threatening to "bomb your offices for lying," according to the press release.
US Attorney Rollins said her office, along with law enforcement, will "not tolerate threats against members of our communities, no matter what corner of the internet they're sent from."
"Hate-filled threats and intimidations have no place in our society," Rollins said in the press release. "We believe Hanson sent a multitude of anonymous threatening and despicable messages related to the LGBTQ community that were intended to evoke fear and division."
Joseph Bonavolonta, special agent in charge of the FBI Boston Division, said the FBI will continue to pursue people who "try to intimidate and isolate members of our community."
"Jeremy Hanson is accused of making hate-fueled threats of violence that crossed a line," Bonavolonta said in the press release. "Everyone has a right to express their opinion, but repeatedly threatening to kill people, as has been alleged, takes it to a new level."
It was not immediately clear on Saturday whether Hanson has retained an attorney. His next court appearance is on April 29 in Springfield before US District Court Magistrate Judge Katherine Robertson.