I will admit to having mocked some of the pro-Palestinian protesters as not being willing to pick up a rifle and go fight for that in which they believe, but I realize that most of them have to finish up their papers for their Diversity, equity, and inclusion classes, or cover their shifts at Starbucks. Those lattés don’t make themselves, you know. But Russell Rickford seems to have plenty of free time on his hands now!

Cornell professor who called Hamas attacks on Israel ‘exhilarating’ and ‘energizing’ takes a leave of absence after admitting the language he used was ‘reprehensible’

• Russell Rickford told an October 15 rally at Ithaca Commons, the downtown shopping district, he was thrilled by Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel

• He apologized on October 18, but on October 20 it was confirmed that he was taking a leave of absence

• READ MORE: Fury at Queen Rania of Jordan’s ‘grotesque’ CNN interview attacking US and Israel for Gaza strikes and questioning if Hamas killed babies

by Harriet Alexander | 24 October 2023 7:05 PM EDT | UPDATED: 25 October 2023 4:05 PM EDT

Rickford is an associate professor of history and, according to his Twitter bio, a ‘Historian of the Black radical tradition’

A Cornell University professor who called the Hamas terror attacks ‘exhilarating and energizing’ has taken a leave of absence and will not return to class for the remainder of the year.Russell Rickford told an October 15 rally at Ithaca Commons, the downtown shopping district in the upstate New York city, that he was thrilled by Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel, in which 1,400 Israelis were killed.

His words were met by anger, and Rickford, a history professor, attempted to explain – and doubled down on his outrageous views.

He said he condemned the killing of any civilians, but said he was angered by ‘the injustice and the hypocrisy of Western support in celebration of Israeli war crimes, and the equation of any form of Palestinian resistance with terrorism.’

Rickford later apologized, saying on October 18 that he was sorry ‘for the horrible choice of words that I used’, and calling his language ‘reprehensible’.

Oh, he was sorry for the horrible choice of words he used, but that is not an apology for the sentiments he conveyed. Quite frankly, I wouldn’t believe that he was sorry for the sentiments he conveyed even if he had apologized for those. He has shown us who he is, and I believe him in that.

On Tuesday it emerged Rickford had pulled out of teaching his history class for the rest of the semester.

There’s more at the original, including a statement from Cornell that Professor Rickford asked for and was granted a leave of absence for the remainder of the semester; the story does not tell us whether his leave is paid or unpaid.

But, clearly, Dr Rickford now has plenty of free time on his hands, not having classes to teach, papers to grade, or any duties he must perform other than daily showering. Dr Rickford clearly does have the time to pick up a rifle and head for Gaza, to fight for that in which he believes, and I believe that he should do it. At least to judge from his biographical photo from Cornell, he appears young and fit enough to fight.

Dr Zaki Masoud, formerly a physician at NYU Langone Winthrop Hospital but now kicked to the curb for his offensive support for Hamas barbarism could join him. Surely the poor, poor Palestinians could use another physician, right?

I absolutely support the freedom of speech, and I love it when the anti-Semites show us who they are.