The Cornell Professor Who Called the Terrorist Slaughter of Jews "Exhilerating" Is Takes a Leave of Absence

He initially refused to retract his statement.

Now, after being told, I'm sure, he would be fired unless he pretended to recant, he pretends to recant.

Oh and of course he's black so Jake Tapper will just not run his picture when he talks about Trump MAGA Republicans stirring up all sorts of antisemtism.

The Cornell professor who called the Hamas terror attack on Israel "exhilarating" and "energizing" is now on a leave of absence until at least the end of the semester.

Russell Rickford, an associate professor of history, went viral for the incendiary remarks to students during a pro-Palestinian protest soon after the Oct. 7 surprise attack on Israel killed 1,400 people, mostly civilians.

"It was exhilarating. It was exhilarating, it was energizing," he was seen telling the crowd, claiming "you would not be human" not to feel the same.

"I was exhilarated!" he said to a smattering of applause.

After initially standing by 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 teach 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.

His students first became aware Friday in an email from Professor Tamika Nunley saying she would be taking over his 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," she wrote the students in an email obtained by the Review.

A petition demanding Rickford's termination has gained almost 11,000 signatures on Change.org, the outlet reported, noting that among those who called for his resignation are US Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and US 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 remarks.

"We learned yesterday of comments that Professor Russell Rickford made over the weekend at an off-campus rally where he described the Hamas terrorist attacks as 'exhilarating,'" Pollack and Kayser wrote.

"This is a reprehensible comment that demonstrates no regard whatsoever for humanity," they continued. "The university is taking this incident seriously and is currently reviewing it consistent with our procedures."

In his recent apology, Rickford said in a statement: "I apologize for the horrible choice of words that I used in a portion of a speech that was intended to stress 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.

Right right right right right. When the trustees started making noises about your remarks being reprehensible -- and therefore fireable -- suddenly you saw the light, right, hero?

posted by Disinformation Expert Ace at 03:20 PM

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