Professor calls it ‘admirable’ to murder ‘racist, homophobic, or transphobic speakers’
Wayne State University professor Steven Shaviro was suspended with pay by the university after a Facebook post calling for the killing of ‘racist, homophobic, or transphobic’ speakers.
Shaviro also admits to using Critical Race Theory in his courses on film studies.
Editor’s note: a previous version of this article stated in at least one instance that Shaviro had been suspended without pay. He was suspended with pay, per the university President’s statement, which was included and quoted correctly in the original article.
A professor at Wayne State University in Michigan was suspended from the university with pay on Mar. 27 after posting on Facebook that he thought it would be “more admirable” to kill conservative speakers than to shout them down.
Steven Shaviro, an English professor at the university, wrote in a now-deleted Facebook post, “So here is what I think about free speech on campus. Although I do not advocate violating federal and state codes, I think it is far more admirable to kill a racist, homophobic, or transphobic speaker than it is to shout them down.”
He went on to say, “When right-wing groups invite such speakers to campus, it is precisely because they want to provoke an incident that discredits the left, and gives more publicity and validation to these reprehensible views than they could otherwise attain.”
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Despite the post being deleted, screenshots of the post have been circulating on social media.
Shaviro’s Facebook and Twitter accounts are now private. However, screenshots obtained by Campus Reform show that he has previously aired his grievances against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ efforts to restrict DEI in Florida higher ed, and has openly admitted to using Critical Race Theory curricula in his classes.
In an email addressed to the campus community, Wayne State President Roy Wilson said, “The post stated that rather than ‘shouting down’ those with whom we disagree, one would be justified to commit murder to silence them.”
“We have on many occasions defended the right of free speech guaranteed by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, but we feel this post far exceeds the bounds of reasonable or protected speech. It is, at best, morally reprehensible and, at worst, criminal,” Wilson continued.
He concludes by saying, “We have referred this to law enforcement agencies for further review and investigation. Pending their review, we have suspended the professor with pay, effective immediately.”
[RELATED: University looking to hire media scholar specializing in ‘critical race studies’]
Campus Reform has previously covered instances of leftist professors making highly controversial statements.
A history professor at New Mexico State University recently appeared on the Youtube channel “Friends of Socialist China” to praise communist leader Zhou Enlai. He also said that the Uygher Muslim genocide is “propagandistic” and caused by rumors from Australia.
A professor at Loyola University Chicago recently published an article in which she claimed that clean and fully stocked pantries have roots in “classist, racist and sexist social structures.” She went on to call the social media trend of having a neat and fully stocked pantry “pantry porn.”
Wayne State University responded to Campus Reform stating that the university is not going to comment on “personnel issues.”
Campus Reform reached out to all other parties mentioned in this story, including Steven Shaviro. This article will be updated as needed.
