A dance professor at a California college posted a video claiming that “white supremacy” is to blame for an anti-police colleague being placed on a “leave of absence.”
In April, Cypress College adjunct English professor Faryha Salim went viral after she berated 19-year-old student Braden Ellis for calling police “heroes.” During a Zoom class, Salim claimed that police departments were developed in the American south to capture runaway slaves and said she would not call the police if a criminal came to her house with a gun or knife.
In a statement, Cypress College claimed that Salim requested to be removed from the class to “protect her safety, maintain her confidentiality, and mitigate attacks.” In comments to the New York Post, the school said that Salim indicated before the release of the video that she was not returning in the fall.
Following the school’s announcement that Salim had been placed on leave, dance professor Maha Afra posted a video claiming that “white supremacy” led to her colleague being canceled. The video is entitled, “Academic Freedom is under attack by White Supremacy” and showcases Ellis as the source of white supremacy.
WATCH: A dance prof at Cypress College created a video calling college student Braden Ellis (the pro-police student who was berated by his prof) a white supremacist & claims "cancel culture" is actually "consequence culture." pic.twitter.com/Rx3vcMEYS8
— Chrissy Clark (@chrissyclark_) May 10, 2021
The video gives a rundown of the events that ensued through the lens of Salim and her supporters who claim she was trying to “challenge” Ellis’s argument. Salim is painted as a professor seeking academic discourse, while Ellis is painted as a politically motivated racist.
Halfway through the video, pictures and personal Facebook posts of Ellis begin popping up. The narrator claims that “cancel culture” is really “consequence culture,” and proceeds to show Ellis mocking Donald Trump’s hand gestures decked out in “MAGA” gear. The video claims that Ellis is holding up a “White Power” symbol in the picture.
The video concludes by encouraging people to stand up for Salim at upcoming Board of Trustees meetings.
Afra also created a GoFundMe to “protect” Salim. The GoFundMe page, however, confirmed the identity of the professor who has since been considered “anonymous” as both the school and Ellis had refused to disclose her name to the press.
Salim has allegedly received death threats from white supremacists since the video was released. On May 3, Cypress College shut down for in-person instruction “out of an abundance of caution” after a threat was directed at Salim and the campus community.
The GoFundMe insinuates that Salim intends to pursue legal action against Cypress College.
“This fundraiser is to help this professor with legal fees and with the necessary costs for security measures to maintain her family safe without violent white supremacists attempt [sic] to harm her,” the GoFundMe reads.
It also claims that Ellis violated campus policy by recording the Zoom class.
“In the context of the ‘free speech crusaders’ on college campuses, some students are determined to violating [sic] recording and academic policies to fulfill their own political agendas.”
The GoFundMe raised over $4,400 at the time of publication.