The Cornell professor who called the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel “exhilarating” and “energizing” is now on leave until at least the end of the semester.
Russell Rickford, an associate professor of history, went viral for inflammatory comments to students during a pro-Palestinian protest shortly after the Oct. 7 surprise attack on Israel that killed 1,400 people, mostly civilians.
“It was exciting. It was exhilarating, energizing,” he was seen telling the crowd, stating that “you wouldn’t be human” if you didn’t feel the same way.
“I was excited!” she said to some applause.
After initially defending his statements, the embattled professor later apologized “for the horrible choice of words,” admitting they were “reprehensible,” before his students were told he would no longer be teaching this semester.
“Professor Russell Rickford has requested and received approval to take a leave of absence from the university,” the Ivy League school confirmed to the campus newspaper, the Cornell Review.
Cornell professor Russell Rickford, who called Hamas’ attack on Israel “exhilarating” and “energizing,” took a leave of absence from the university. Cornell University’s Rickford made pro-Hamas remarks at a protest held outside the prestigious Ivy League campus. school.@samaberman / X
Her students first noticed it Friday in an email from professor Tamika Nunley saying she was taking over their course on post-Civil War African American history.
“Professor Rickford will be taking a leave of absence and I will assume teaching responsibilities for this course for the remainder of the semester,” he wrote to students in an email obtained by the Review.
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A petition demanding Rickford’s firing has garnered nearly 11,000 signatures on Change.org, the outlet reported, noting that those calling for his resignation include U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and U.S. Rep. Claudia Tenney (R- NY). .
In an Oct. 17 statement signed by Cornell President Martha Pollack and Board of Trustees Chairman Kraig Kayser, the school condemned Rickford’s comments.
“Yesterday we learned of comments Professor Russell Rickford made over the weekend at an off-campus rally where he described Hamas terrorist attacks as ‘exhilarating,’” Pollack and Kayser wrote.
“I was excited!” Rickford said to some applause. Cornell University seen from the McGraw Tower. Getty Images
“This is a reprehensible comment that shows no respect for humanity,” they continued. “The university is taking this incident seriously and is currently reviewing it in accordance with our procedures.”
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In his recent apology, Rickford said in a statement: “I apologize for the horrible choice of words I used in a portion of a speech that was intended to emphasize grassroots African American, Jewish, and Palestinian traditions of resistance to oppression.
“I recognize that some of the language I used was reprehensible and did not reflect my values,” he added.
Rickford later said, “Some of the language I used was reprehensible and did not reflect my values.” The Cornell Daily Sun
Rickford apologized to students for his “reckless comments” and said he “unequivocally opposes and denounces racism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, militarism, fundamentalism and all systems that dehumanize, divide and oppress people.”
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He had initially refused to retract his statement in an earlier expression of defiance.
“What I was referring to is that those first few hours, when they broke down the apartheid wall, seemed to be a symbol of resistance and, in fact, a new phase of resistance in the Palestinian struggle,” Rickford said before the apology.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn