Students Are Demanding A Professor Be Fired For Opposing Slavery

Authored by Steve Watson via Summit News,

Students are petitioning to have a professor at Loyola University New Orleans fired over his opinions on slavery, even though he vehemently opposes it.

Economics professor Walter Block says he opposes slavery because he is a libertarian, but that reasoning isn’t good enough for some students, who wish to see the professor removed because he doesn’t have exactly the same opinions as they do.

A petition, signed by over 600 students, alleges that Block has ‘racist and sexist beliefs’.

The petition claims that Block “has publicly stated that he believes slavery to be wrong because it goes against Libertarianism, not because it is morally wrong.”

“If Loyola is really wanting to remove racism, they should remove racists from teaching,” it adds.

“While it is important to have professors with different views and opinions and beliefs, racist and sexist beliefs should not be a part of this,” it continues, adding “It is harmful to any non-men and any Black people to be taught that slavery isn’t morally wrong, to be taught that women don’t deserve to be paid and treated equally.”

The students also claim that Block has “ableist” opinions, in that he discriminates against people with disabilities. It claims that Block once told a student that he thinks the “Americans with Disabilities Act was a terrible law”.

The Spectator managed to get a comment from Block, as the professor told the publication “Slavery is wrong, evil and should be outlawed, and slavers be considered criminals and put in jail because it is a rights violation; it is an abomination.”

He further notes, however, that “woke” students are trying to remove him because they are not capable of accepting, co-existing with,  or debating a diversity of discourse.

“The woke people who want me fired do not wish to engage in civil dialogue or debate. Also, thank goodness for academic freedom and what little intellectual diversity remains on campus,” Block urged.

The University appears to be standing by Block for now, with Interim Provost Maria Calzada commenting that academic freedoms need to be upheld.

“We have serious legal constraints on our ability to fire faculty for that which they publish, even if we find it anathema,” Calzada said, adding “We cannot be accredited as a university without policies of academic freedom.”

This case perfectly illustrates how the woke mob don’t really care about freedom of expression or diversity of opinion. You may hold morally sound beliefs but still be targeted for cancellation because you do not have the exact same opinions as they do.