(TheLibertyRevolution.com)- Last Wednesday, a Chinese student appeared in a federal court in Boston charged with one count of stalking after allegedly threatening and harassing an individual who was advocating for democracy in China.
According to the US Attorney’s Office in the District of Massachusetts, Xiaolei Wu, 25, a student at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, allegedly sent threatening messages to someone who posted a flier on or near the campus supporting Chinese democracy and tried to get others to harass the individual as well.
In a WeChat message, Wu allegedly threatened to “chop your bastard hands off” if the person put up more posters, according to the complaint.
The complaint also alleges that Wu reported the individual to the Chinese government, warning the individual that Chinese authorities would “greet” the individual’s family members.
Wu also allegedly solicited others to find out where the person lived and shared the individual’s email address online hoping others would pile on abuse.
In a statement last Wednesday, Berklee College of Music revealed that Wu had been suspended, saying Wu’s “described behavior is troubling to Berklee.” The school would not comment on the ongoing investigation.
After his court appearance last week, Wu was released.
If found guilty, he faces up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000, according to the US Attorney’s Office.
In recent years, an increasing number of overseas Chinese students have been taking it upon themselves to defend the Chinese Communist Party against perceived criticism on campus, often with the blessing of Chinese embassies.
After a California university invited the Dalai Lama to speak, Chinese students organized protests. There have been incidents where Chinese students rebuked professors for allegedly including anti-Chinese content in their lectures. And during the pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, there were often on-campus clashes between pro- and anti-democracy Chinese students.
