A University of Cambridge lecturer has been promoted to a professor after she received abusive tweeting messages and death threats after tweeting,”White Lives Don’t Matter”.
Dr Priyamvada Gopal, 51, who teaches at Churchill College’s Faculty of English, went to the social media platform on Tuesday evening 23 June to write:“I’ll say it again. White Lives Don’t Matter. As white lives.”
The message had been met with indignation. People called her out, hurled racist abuse at her, and issued death threats. Twitter has since deleted the post for “violating Twitter rules”.
A petition titled “Fire Cambridge Professor for Racism” was also launched on the petition site change.org on Wednesday demanding that Dr Gopal be fired by the university for the controversial tweet.
Later, Dr Gopal posted some of the hate speech she had received, including a man who sent her a photo of a noose and wrote:“We are coming for you you n***er loving piece of shit.”
Dr Gopal revealed on Wednesday night, June 24, that she had been promoted to a full professorship by the university.
She added: “I would also like to make clear I stand by my tweets, now deleted by Twitter, not me. They were very clearly speaking to a structure and ideology, not about people.
“My Tweet said whiteness is not special, not a criterion for making lives matter. I stand by that.”
The University of Cambridge has since come out to share lawful views in support of the lecturer and defended academic freedom.
Russel Group University has praised the lecturer and regretted the threats she has faced since her tweeting.
A statement the university issued reads:”The University defends the right of its academics to express their own lawful opinions, which others might find controversial.
“[It] deplores in the strongest terms abuse and personal attacks. These attacks are totally unacceptable and must cease.”
The University and College Union (UCU) branch in Cambridge has also demonstrated its solidarity with Dr. Gopal.
The union wrote: “Solidarity with Priyamvada Gopal – being targeted with vile sexist and racist abuse for speaking up against white supremacists.
“We are proud to be your colleagues both on the picket line and off it. BlackLivesMatterSolidarity.”
Many colleagues and students have since expressed solidarity with Dr Gopal following the incident, with even popular comedian Nish Kumar wading in to call her “one of the best and brightest around”.
Yet others have branded Dr. Gopal ‘s defense of the university as contradictory and politically biased.