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The nation’s leading professors’ group defended faculty speech rights after the assassination of Turning Point USA (TPUSA) founder Charlie Kirk, but stopped short of condemning his killing.
Rather, the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), founded in 1915, called for leaders of universities to avoid “political pressure” to fire faculty members over comments made about the conservative powerhouse in the aftermath of his death.
“The AAUP notes with great alarm the rash of recent administrative actions to discipline faculty, staff, and student speech in the aftermath of the murder of Charlie Kirk,” the AAUP wrote in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. “We write to remind leaders of colleges and universities of their fundamental duty to protect academic freedom and the absolute necessity to ensure that the freedom to discuss topics of public import without constraint is not curtailed under political pressure.”
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“At a moment when higher education is threatened by forces that seek to destroy it and its role in a democratic society, the anticipatory obedience shown by this rush to judgment must be avoided,” it continued.
Prior to that statement Monday, the AAUP only released a statement last week condemning “the recent and recurring bomb and terroristic threats against multiple historically Black colleges and universities,” but no separate statement condemning Kirk’s assassination. The AAUP has 44,000 members, according to its website.
The AAUP published material about TPUSA in October 2024, accusing the organization of engaging in “racist, homophobic and transphobic speech while on campus,” and described Kirk as a “professional provocateur,” saying he “has built a career perfecting how to provoke college students,” and is “actively hostile to higher education.”
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Faculty were also encouraged to hold administrators accountable for bringing Kirk or TPUSA events to campus through petitions, votes of no confidence and pressuring donors. Professors were advised to add syllabus language or push for campus policies restricting unauthorized classroom filming, as TPUSA-affiliated students have recorded left-wing professors and submit their names to the organization’s Professor Watchlist.
When asked by Fox News Digital whether it stands by its past descriptions of Kirk and TPUSA — and how it balances support for faculty with the principles of academic freedom and free speech for groups it opposes — the AAUP said: “Colleges and universities should exercise restraint and not interfere with legitimate invitations to outside speakers, except in the most extraordinary circumstances where strong evidence of imminent danger justifies rescinding an invitation.”
The AAUP did not answer a follow-up question about whether TPUSA and Kirk fall under the “extraordinary circumstances” where “danger” justifies revoking an invitation to college campuses.
The AAUP has long staked out progressive positions in higher education, frequently siding with faculty who oppose restricting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). Last year, the group also reversed its longtime opposition to academic boycotts policies.
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Conservative leaders, including Vice President JD Vance, White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller and Attorney General Pam Bondi have demanded accountability for rhetoric they argue fosters hostility toward conservatives and can escalate into violence. Meanwhile, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has urged an “off-ramp” from the cycle of political antagonism.
FBI Director Kash Patel said people who know primary suspect Tyler Robinson, including family members, have told investigators that Robinson “subscribed to left-wing ideology.” Family members also allege Robinson expressed hatred for Kirk’s views.
Since Kirk’s assassination on Sept. 10 on his “American Comeback Tour,” multiple higher education educators and administrators have been investigated, suspended or fired for social-media posts celebrating or justifying his death.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Department of Education for comment.
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