Lawyer's antisemitic rant leads to ouster from bar post and government job
The Illinois State Capitol building in Springfield, Illinois. An Illinois government lawyer is out of a job after she allegedly called an Instagram user a “Zionist pig” and wrote that “Hitler should have eradicated all of you.” Photo from Shutterstock.
An Illinois government lawyer is out of a job after she allegedly called an Instagram user a “Zionist pig” and wrote that “Hitler should have eradicated all of you.”
The Illinois comptroller’s office fired lawyer Sarah Chowdhury last Thursday, the same day that the alleged antisemitic rant was posted online, report the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun-Times, Reuters and Above the Law.
Chowdhury had written legal memos and conducted research for the comptroller’s office, where she had worked for three years, an office spokesperson told the Chicago Sun-Times. She admitted to some of the posts before her firing, the office said in a statement.
Chowdhury also lost her position as president of the South Asian Bar Association of Chicago. The association said she had been terminated and removed from membership; she told the Chicago Tribune that she resigned.
Chowdhury was accused of making the comments in private direct messages with the Instagram user known as “Big Law Boiz,” according to the Chicago Sun-Times. A screenshot of the exchange was posted to Instagram and to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
The Chicago Tribune described Chowdhury’s comments as “part of an Instagram exchange of insults” with the Instagram user.
Chowdhury told the Chicago Tribune that she was extremely sorry for the “inappropriate and reprehensible” comments. She apologized to the Instagram user she targeted and to anyone who saw her comments.
Chowdhury said she didn’t know what came over her. She was distraught over the conflict and upset about the way that it was being covered and discussed on social media, she told the Chicago Tribune.
“Antisemitism has no place anywhere,” she told the Chicago Tribune.
The Instagram user Big Law Boiz describes itself as a “Jew with Israeli family.” The anonymous account holder told Reuters that Chowdhury initiated the exchange in response to posts about media coverage of the conflict.
Above the Law posted parts of the alleged exchange between Chowdhury and Big Law Boiz. One segment:
Chowdhury: “Burn in hell.”
Big Law Boiz: “I bet you want a piece of this pork sausage.”
Chowdhury: “Vermin should have all been killed decades ago. All you Zionists will pay.”
Big Law Boiz: “Talk dirty to me.”
The exchange continued, culminating with Chowdhury’s alleged remark, “Hitler should have eradicated all of you.”
