Prof’s lawyer: ‘Twitter is a sewer […] just like a mob with torches and pitchforks’
A University of Guelph professor has received “extensive backlash” and “threats of harm” for comments she made regarding the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump last weekend.
According to the CBC, the Department of Integrative Biology’s Shoshanah Jacobs wrote “When 4 inches really matters” in a quote-tweet from an MSNBC producer regarding the shooting’s “aftermath.”
After being called out in the comments for “wishing death on someone” with whom she disagrees, Jacobs (pictured) wrote “I wonder why you interpreted my comment like that.”
After another commenter asked Jacobs to “clarify” her remark, she replied “Four inches toward the center of [Trump’s] head would have killed him. Therefore, they really mattered.”
U. Guelph officials said they are “aware” of Jacobs’ remarks and the threats against her, and “seriously and are currently looking into the matter.”
In a statement, the university said it “does not condone violence of any kind. Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with those affected by the events of Saturday.”
University security contacted local law enforcement early last Sunday evening regarding the threats against the professor, GuelphToday reports. According to Jacobs’ lawyer Mark Bourrie, she “certainly didn’t advocate for someone to shoot President Trump, and people are interpreting it as in as negative a way as possible, basically, to go after an academic.”
Bourrie added “Twitter is a sewer to start with,” and that its participants are “just like a mob with torches and pitchforks.”
MORE: Trump assassination attempt ‘was staged,’ Carnegie Mellon professor says
Jacobs has since restricted her X (Twitter) account.
As previously noted by The College Fix, Jacobs also had called out Canadian Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre for saying he was relieved that Trump’s would-be assassin had been shot dead. “We’re executing suspects now?” she asked.
When told the shooter was still an active threat at the time, she replied “Do we have to be happy?”
According to her faculty page, Jacobs researches “the process by which designers learn from nature to develop biomimetic innovations, the entry points of the approach, the biological models that they use and their understanding of them, with the goal of helping to improve access to those unfamiliar with biology.”
MORE: 15 times academia demonized Trump before assassination attempt
IMAGES: U. Guelph; Sho Jacobs/X
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