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Spanish professor described Israelis as ‘racist genocidal rapist killers,’ according to screenshot of his message
Seattle Central College Professor David Quintero is being investigated over a series of allegedly antisemitic messages, including that he doesn’t want “Zionist Israelis” sitting next to him, a campus spokesperson confirmed to The College Fix.
College spokesperson Adam Russell said the matter will be reviewed by the District Compliance Office before leaders determine the “appropriate next steps.” Because the matter is under review, he said he was “unable to comment on the process, findings, or any personnel-related matters.”
The college launched the investigation after Hana Gala, a fellow faculty member, filed a formal complaint.
Gala told The Fix that Quintero shared the comments on a faculty conversation list server that the administration does not monitor.
Because Quintero’s posts were made on “a space for workplace communication, … the administration cannot entirely wash their hands off of whatever goes on there,” she told The Fix last week.
Gala said “several” other faculty members also privately responded to her in support of calling out the original post, but only one has done so publicly.
Seattle reporter Ari Hoffman obtained a screenshot of Quintero’s message, dated June 15, and shared it on X.
“It is about time we confront the public and private institutions we work for in another problematic security level: Zionist Israelis with dual citizenship are looking for work all over The World and the USA. So, now we are going to have racist genocidal rapist killers sitting next to us? How do they pass the security background check?” Quintero wrote, according to the screenshot.
He also questioned whether U.S. authorities would “except these criminals” from the law.
The Fix reached out to Quintero on July 1 and 3 for comment via email, but he did not respond.
Accuracy In Media also reported on a series of comments Quintero posted on social media, including, “You can no longer separate Zionism and Judaism.”
According to AIM, the professor “also reportedly promoted conspiracy theories questioning the Jewish identity of Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews, while sharing claims that Israel orchestrated the October 7 terrorist attack and killed its own citizens.”
His “posts demonstrate a broader pattern of anti-Jewish animus that extends far beyond political criticism of the Israeli government,” the investigative journalism group wrote.
The mission of Accuracy In Media is to “expose government corruption, public policy failures, and radical activists.”
AIM President Adam Guillette told The Fix that he reached out to the college for comments but has not heard back. He expressed skepticism about the investigation, and said the public community college “simply wants to sweep this issue under the rug.”
On June 18, Guillette set up a billboard campaign outside of the college and Quintero’s neighborhood to raise awareness about Quintero’s remarks. He said several individuals on his college campus were “outraged.”
Guillette said Quintero has “not responded to any request for comment” and was not available when they tried to visit him.
His organization set up a website urging Quintero to resign and calling on lawmakers to “promptly resolve this mess.” It asks lawmakers to consider how a Jewish student or colleague of Quintero’s may feel after having been made aware of his comments.
Quintero has been teaching Spanish at the college for 35 years, according to an article on the college website. In the fall, he is scheduled to teach three Spanish classes. Outside of teaching, he also has been the college’s director for its study abroad program for more than two decades.
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