Russell Rickford: Cornell professor who called Hamas attack on Israel 'exhilarating' and 'energizing' placed on leave of absence
ITHACA, NEW YORK: The Cornell professor who called the appalling Hamas attack on Israel “exhilarating” and “energizing” is now placed on a leave of absence, at least till the end of the semester.
Russell Rickford, an associate professor of history, went viral for his controversial remarks to students during a pro-Palestinian protest following the October 7 cowardly attack on Israel that killed 1,400 people, mostly civilians.
What did Russell Rickford say?
“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.
Russell Rickford later apologized for his comment
Although he initially stood beside what he said, Rickford later apologized “for the horrible choice of words,” admitting they were “reprehensible" in front of his students who 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.
Cornell University Professor Russell Rickford speaking about Hamas terrorist attacks. Shameful @Cornell. pic.twitter.com/xv1dTqGymy
— Sam Aberman (@samaberman) October 15, 2023
Who is going to replace Russell Rickford?
The professor's students first became aware on Friday, October 20, 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 Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and US Rep Claudia Tenney (R-NY).
Cornell University Professor Russell Rickford has released a statement through The Cornell Daily Sun.
— Sam Aberman (@samaberman) October 19, 2023
No mention of Hamas.
No mention of terrorism.
No apology to the Cornell Jewish community.
But he does apologize for his choice of words. Do you think this is enough? pic.twitter.com/86K8jU5Vyi
The school also condemned Russell Rickford's remarks
In an October 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 said, adding “The university is taking this incident seriously and is currently reviewing it consistent with our procedures.”
“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", Rickford said in a statement in his recent apology.
“I recognize that some of the language I used was reprehensible and did not reflect my values,” he added.
Rickford apologized to students for his “reckless remarks” and said he “unequivocally opposes and denounces racism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, militarism, fundamentalism, and all systems that dehumanize, divide, and oppress people.”
He had initially refused to walk back his statement. “What I was referring to is in those first few hours, when they broke through the apartheid wall, that it seemed to be a symbol of resistance, and indeed a new phase of resistance in the Palestinian struggle,” Rickford said before the apology.