Earlier this month, Texas Tech University suspended Jairo Funes-Flores, an assistant professor in the School of Education, with pay for social media posts that school leaders said were “hateful, anti-Semitic and unacceptable.” did.
Rights and academic freedom groups such as the American Association of University Professors and PEN America say the assistant professor's suspension highlights concerns about due process and academic freedom, and that a nationwide trend toward suppressing pro-Palestinian voices in the Middle East is continuing. It is said that it is widespread. War between Israel and Hamas.
Funes-Flores, who is involved in curriculum research and researches decolonial theory, said in an interview with American Statesman that she has been posting about colonial struggles, including the Gaza War, since 2021. After October 7 – The extremist Palestinian Authority and military group Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, attack the Jewish state, prompting Israel to declare war on the area. According to media reports, more than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict. According to reports, he continues to post about conflict and decolonization, sometimes using profanity.
However, no action was taken against him until the Texas Scorecard, a conservative news outlet that reports on the promotion of self-governance, published an article documenting his posts on the Gaza war on February 22nd. He said there was no. Funes-Flores' post, which supports Palestinians and opposes Israel, was anti-Semitic, and the subheading said, “Universities have an opportunity for reform.”
Texas Tech University's Office of Equal Opportunity has determined that “the anti-Semitic sentiments expressed by Professor Funes Flores' social media comments have entered the classroom and work environment, and whether… Professor Funes-Flores was placed on paid leave on March 4 as the company investigates the matter. He is a discriminatory harasser,” said a statement on behalf of President Lawrence Schovanec and Texas Tech University Chancellor Ted Mitchell.
The statement cites the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights, which warned institutions last May that with anti-Semitism on the rise, they had an obligation to take immediate action to protect Jewish students from harassment. . He also said the social media posts were contrary to the university's values.
But the fact that the university said the post was anti-Semitic before conducting an investigation is “probably more concerning than the actual suspension,” Professor Funes-Flores said.
“When we criticize nation-states, we are not criticizing the ethnic or religious groups that live within their borders,” he says. “This is a dangerous combination.”
Timeline, what happened?
Professor Funes-Flores said she has received numerous hate mails, voicemails, letters to university administration, and death threats for her posts since October 7th. University leaders said they were aware of this and took no action.
The Statesman has learned that university officials from Technology Support, the Alumni Association, and the College of Education were forwarded or copied emails from individuals criticizing Mr. Funes Flores' character, speech, and teaching abilities because of his posts on X. It was confirmed. The dean of the Faculty of Education did not respond to Politico's questions about whether he had seen these messages.
Funes-Flores said her dean informed her of the Scorecard article when it was published and asked her to delete a post on X about it later that day.Mr. Funes-Flores did not delete it. post, in which he discussed the “hit piece” and said it was a violation of freedom of expression. He said he had no further contact with administrators until after his suspension.
“Since February 23rd, no one has asked me to clarify my tweets, conceptualize my tweets, or talk about them in any way, shape, or form,” he wrote. Told. “I just got suspended.”
The university did not respond to questions regarding the specific posts that prompted the school's investigation or whether there were complaints from students.
“We take seriously the application of the First Amendment to public universities. However, we are committed to providing a safe learning and working environment free from harassment, including anti-Semitic harassment. “We are committed to doing so and do not tolerate conduct that crosses the line of harassment and impedes or limits an individual's ability to participate in the education and activities of Texas Tech University,” the president and chancellor's statement said.
However, Funes-Flores said, “When we speak out against genocide and find ourselves on the receiving end of institutional violence, the complicity of our organizations becomes clearly evident.” He posted on February 23rd to. “Power takes an ugly turn when people collectively resist, so do everything you can to reject the silence that fear seeks to impose.”
Activities since suspension of activities
Students from Texas Tech University's Palestine Justice Student Chapter protested on March 7, calling for Funes-Flores' reinstatement. More than 2,000 people have signed an open letter in support of the professor, and a GoFundMe set up for him had raised more than $25,000 as of Monday afternoon.
The AAUP, which was consulted by Funes-Flores, opposed his suspension in a letter to Chancellor Shobanec, saying that since 1940 it has opposed punishing academics for their free expression as citizens. I wrote it down.
“We are deeply concerned that the administration's actions against Professor Funes-Flores come amid escalating political and legislative demands that institutions of higher education restrict the expression that can be expressed on and off campus,” the AAUP said. Deputy Secretary Anita Levy wrote. letter.
Levy also argues that AAUP's punishment for Funes-Flores, even with pay, should be considered a “serious sanction” and handed down only after he proves his cause in a faculty hearing. he added.
Nationally, professors have been suspended after being criticized for pro-Palestinian sentiments when discussing the war, and some pro-Palestinian groups have been suspended by universities.
At the University of Texas, two teaching assistants were fired from their positions in November after sending messages in support of Palestinian students and Palestine to their classes, and went to the dean's office to advocate for the teaching assistants' reinstatement. Four students were investigated and punished with suspended suspension for protesting.
Funes-Flores said he believes he is the first Texas professor to be suspended for pro-Palestinian comments.
“Even a suspension would establish a dangerous precedent in terms of violating due process, academic freedom, and even free speech,” he said. “In a way, it creates a culture of fear.”
Funes-Flores said she was told by administrators that the investigation would last two to four weeks. He believes it is important to speak out to contextualize the war in Gaza, and said there is a pattern of suppressing voices that seek to do so.
“When we become employees of a university, we don't necessarily give up our First Amendment rights. As long as we don't infringe on our rights on campus, we keep our rights.” he stated. . “There are exceptions, clear exceptions, when dealing with Palestine.”
