“The University took immediate action upon learning of the concerning social media posts of a University of 海角社区官网professor,” U of T’s media relations team told the Star.
“The University took immediate action upon learning of the concerning social media posts of a University of 海角社区官网professor,” U of T’s media relations team told the Star.
The University of 海角社区官网says it has put a professor on leave over an apparent tweet reacting to the fatal shooting this week of American right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.
According to , the associate professor of religious studies and political science tweeted, “Shooting is honestly too good for so many of you fascist c—-s.”
The screenshot shows the tweet was posted at 5:40 p.m. on Wednesday, roughly an hour after U.S. President Donald Trump shared on social media that Kirk, who was a longtime ally of the president, had died from a gunshot wound to the neck. Kirk had been speaking at an event Utah Valley University when, around 2:20 p.m. Eastern time, he was shot by a gunman believed to be stationed on a roof of a nearby building.
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“The University took immediate action upon learning of the concerning social media posts of a University of 海角社区官网professor,” U of T’s media relations team told the Star in an emailed statement Friday.
“The matter is being looked into and the University will not be commenting further,” the statement continued, noting that Marshall was no longer on campus.
Marshall’s faculty pages on the university departments of Political Science and Study of Religion websites did not load Friday when opened by the Star, with an “access denied” message popping up instead.
Marshall didn鈥檛 immediately respond to the Star鈥檚 request for comment, but she later tweeted Thursday that her comments were not in response to the Kirk shooting and that her comment was 鈥渞eferring to the vile and abject character of the person, not an act of killing,鈥 according to the National Post.
The professor’s tweet led to backlash from others at U of T, as well as the province.
“Statements that encourage violence against those with whom you disagree is the antithesis of civil discourse. This incitement is neither protected by free speech or by academic freedom,” , a radiologist and governor on U of T’s Governing Council, on X.
“Universities and their professors are supposed to foster critical thought, respectful debate, and be safe learning environments聽鈥 and this professor’s violent rhetoric flagrantly flies in the face of that,” , Ontario’s minister of colleges and universities, adding that he’d made it clear to U of T the university needed to “act.”
The University of 海角社区官网Faculty Association, which is the official representative of faculty and librarians,聽confirmed in a statement to the Star that Marshall had been put on leave but said the association would not comment further on the situation.
Nathan Bawaan is a Toronto-based general assignment reporter for
the Star. Reach him via email: nbawaan@thestar.ca
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