The chancellor of a California university condemned an assistant professor's apparent social media posting threatening violence against "Zionist journalists" as "revolting" on Thursday.
An account affiliated with a University of California-Davis faculty member named Jemma Decristo posted last week on X, "One group of ppl we have easy access to in the US is all these Zionist journalists who spread propaganda & misinformation… they have houses w addresses, kids in school… they can fear their bosses, but they should fear us more." The post ended with emojis depicting a knife, axe and drops of blood.
Her biography page on the UC-Davis website had an error message, but the The Forward reported an archived biography described her as "an assistant professor in American studies and African American studies." Her X account is now private.
Chancellor Gary S. May released a statement saying he disagreed wholeheartedly with the remarks and explained how the university was proceeding.
"I absolutely condemn the posts attributed to a UC Davis faculty member that recently appeared on the social media platform X," he wrote. "I find the comments revolting in every way, and I disagree wholeheartedly with them. UC Davis rejects all forms of violence and discrimination, as they are antithetical to the values of our university. We strive to foster a climate of equity and justice built on mutual understanding and respect for all members of the community."
He went on to say that when the university receives a complaint that a faculty member has engaged in misconduct, the matter is reviewed internally as a confidential personnel issue. The statement did not confirm whether the faculty member in question had been terminated.
"We can confirm that the provost will refer this matter to the appropriate campus departments that investigate harassment, discrimination, and faculty conduct, in consultation with legal counsel regarding First Amendment rights," he said. "Some have asked why this faculty member continues to be employed at UC Davis. The University of California system has specific procedures for the review of complaints of faculty misconduct consistent with universitywide policies and bylaws. The status of complaints lodged against faculty members are confidential personnel matters, so we are unable to publicly comment on the steps we are taking."
"The public expression of opinions, even those opinions considered controversial or abhorrent, enjoy a high level of protection under the First Amendment. We are carefully reviewing this matter to ensure our response is consistent with universitywide policy and state and federal constitutional protections," he continued
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The professor's remark received widespread attention online this week. It comes amid a series of nationwide campus demonstrations of anti-Israel and anti-Zionism in the wake of the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on Oct. 7. One student group, Students for Justice in Palestine, openly celebrated the terror attack as a "historic win" for Palestinian resistance.
Reached for comment, a UC-Davis spokesman directed Fox News Digital to the chancellor's statement. Decristo didn't respond to a request for comment.
The university is located in northern California, just west of the capital city of Sacramento.
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