Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton addressed a letter to University of North Texas administrators on Friday, requesting an investigation after alleging that a student was asked to leave class after criticizing other students’ views on the death shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
According to Paxton’s letter to UNT President Harrison Keller and Dean of Students Laura Smith, a video arose showing some students in a UNT classroom watching the video of Kirk’s shooting and cheering “that he would die from his injuries.”
According to Paxton’s letter, one of the students who overheard then “expressed her own opinion that the assassination should not be celebrated or discussed in class.”
“In response, the agitator and other classmates began to yell at the student, and the professor directed her—and only her—to take the discussion out of the classroom,” according to Paxton’s letter.
Paxton claims in the letter that the activities seen in the video may have violated the school’s code of student behavior, employee ethics policy, and free expression policy.
“The student’s allegations are concerning,” Paxton stated in his letter. “This lack of disciplinary action has reinforced a principle that such conduct is appropriate and, in turn, has contributed to radicalizing individuals to engage in reprehensible actions.”
Keller stated in a statement that UNT is looking into “recent actions by a few of our community members.”
“I respect Attorney General Paxton’s concerns. We treat all claims of wrongdoing by students or teachers very seriously. We expect UNT students and community members to conduct themselves in a way that is consistent with the university’s values and standards,” Keller stated.
“We are currently undertaking an in-depth assessment of recent acts by a handful of our community members. I am dedicated to ensuring that UNT provides a safe learning and working environment for all of our students and the community.”
According to KAMC, Paxton’s letter followed recent claims that a Texas State University student is “no longer enrolled” following an altercation at a campus memorial for Kirk.
There have even been reports of pilots and lecturers getting dismissed over social media statements about Kirk.
Kirk, 31, the founder of Turning Point USA, was fatally murdered while speaking at a Utah Valley University event. Tyler Robinson, 22, was arrested and charged with capital murder in connection to Kirk’s death.
