College Professor on Leave for Charlottesville Attendance

“A civil liberties nonprofit is calling for a Furman University professor to be reinstated to the classroom after the university launched an investigation when they learned about his attendance of the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, VA,” FOX Carolina reported.

The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) sent a letter to Furman’s president, saying the university has “violated its free expression promises” by placing professor Chris Healy on leave.

The letter obtained by FOX Carolina says photos that surfaced from the rally show Healy “peacefully standing in a crowd of individuals.”

FOX Carolina reported:

A photographer from the Associated Press and other journalists captured images and video of Healy standing among white supremacist groups at the 2017 rally, which later turned deadly. After the photos were posted by a group called “Ignite the Right,” Furman issued a statement saying a professor – who they did not name – would not be on campus or teaching while they investigated the professor’s alleged association “with other organizations that are connected with white supremacist groups that promote racism, exclusion and hatred.”

Healy released the following statement:

“This event dealt with the question of keeping intact a statue of Robert E. Lee. All I did in attending the event was exercise my rights as an American citizen, and this episode has taught me that there are real enemies of free speech. In the USA, we are not guilty by association, but I feel like a butterfly being accused of starting a hurricane.”

I do not know Healy’s political views but it does not matter from a free speech perspective. We are often called upon to defend the rights of those with whom we disagree or even those who we detest…https://t.co/sXbwI6vjzh

— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) October 9, 2022

FOX Carolina said Healy is cooperating fully with Furman’s investigation.

Furman professor Chris Healy tells me he is cooperating fully with the university's investigation. https://t.co/Vh4bC86BWx

— Amanda Shaw (@Amandainthenews) October 4, 2022

Healy signed a waiver authorizing Furman to release information about his employment status and personnel files to FIRE, which has an advocacy team working with him.

“In investigating and banning Professor Healy from campus, Furman University has violated its own commitments to protect faculty free expression,” said FIRE program officer Sabrina Conza.

“Faculty have the freedom to peaceably protest, and Furman cannot investigate him for his mere association with viewpoints it deems ‘harmful.’ What’s harmful is the university’s blatant violation of faculty rights. Furman must immediately end its investigation and return Healy to the classroom.”

Furman University issued the following statement regarding the letter:

“As the president said in her message last Friday, this professor will not teach or be on campus as we gather the facts and determine next steps. We’re taking every measure to make sure there are limited disruptions for students, faculty and staff, and that our community comes through this even stronger than we were before.”

Read the full letter FIRE sent to Furman University at FOX Carolina.

FOX Carolina aired this video report: