The Cornell professor who came under fire for calling the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel “exhilarating” and “energizing” has been placed on a leave of absence.
Associate professor of history Russell Rickford garnered backlash online after he made the controversial remarks to students at an off-campus pro-Palestinian rally following the terror attack that left over 1,400 dead.
“It was exhilarating. It was exhilarating, it was energizing,” Rickford said.
WATCH: Graphic Content Warning: Home Where Hamas Murdered an Israeli Family in Kibbutz Be’eri
Joel B. Pollak / Breitbart News“I was exhilarated!” he exclaimed.
Cornell University Professor Russell Rickford speaking about Hamas terrorist attacks. Shameful @Cornell. pic.twitter.com/xv1dTqGymy
— Sam Aberman (@samaberman) October 15, 2023
The professor initially stood by his statements, but later apologized “for the horrible choice of words,” admitting they were “reprehensible,” in a Cornell Sun opinion piece:
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. As I said in the speech, I abhor violence and the violent targeting of civilians. I am sorry for the pain that my reckless remarks have caused my family, my students, my colleagues and many others in this time of suffering.
However, it was too late.
“Professor Russell Rickford has requested and received approval to take a leave of absence from the university,” the university confirmed to the campus newspaper, the Cornell Review, on Saturday.
Rickford’s post-Civil War African American history students were notified of his impending absence that Friday, via an email from Professor Tamika Nunley saying she would be taking over as the instructor for the course.
“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 faculty change came after a Change.org petition to fire Rickford reached nearly 12,000 signatures. The Review noted that among those who called for the professor’s ouster were Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY).
Since I sent a letter to Cornell President Martha Pollack demanding that Professor Russell Rickford resign for his anti-Semitic comments, he has taken a leave of absence.
— Rep. Claudia Tenney (@RepTenney) October 23, 2023
Cornell must take this a step further and fire him for his pro-Hamas comments! https://t.co/cRJBh50j0G
Cornell president Martha Pollack as well as board of trustees chairman Kraig Kayser condemned the disgraced professor’s offensive speech.
“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,’” the statement reads.
“This is a reprehensible comment that demonstrates no regard whatsoever for humanity. The university is taking this incident seriously and is currently reviewing it consistent with our procedures.”
Rickford wasn’t the only Cornell faculty member to make insensitive statements in reference to the terror attack, with a diversity and inclusion director at the university’s Johnson Graduate School of Management also recently coming under fire.
As Breitbart News reported earlier in the month, Derron Borders referred to Hamas as the “resistance,” amid the rape, murder, and kidnapping of Israeli civilians.
Borders wrote on his Instagram Story:
When you hear about Israel this morning and the resistance being launched by Palestinians, remember against all odds Palestinians are fighting for life, dignity, and freedom — alongside others doing the same — against settler colonization, imperialism, capitalism, white supremacy, which the United States is the model.
Let it be known the fight for Palestine, against colonization, is a fight for the imagination that other worlds are possible, that genocide should not be accepted, and that people always have the choice of refusal, and the right to resist. Free the land.
A Cornell spokesperson told Breitbart News, “We were recently made aware of personal social media posts made by an employee who has been on a leave of absence from the university for several months,” but did not elaborate further. When asked if Borders will be welcomed back to his position after the “leave of absence,” the university did not reply.
