Conservative FAU Professor Seeks to Raise $500K After Charlie Kirk Comments
After conservative firebrand Charlie Kirk — head of Turning Point USA — was shot dead on September 10th while speaking at Utah Valley University, thousands of leftists across America cheered and celebrated.
Among those celebrating were academics, teachers, police officers, and medical personnel. By rejoicing in the death of Charlie Kirk because of his Judeo-Christian, biblically conservative views, they proved to the world that liberals are willing to dance on the grave of conservatives.
Dr. Rebel Cole, a Chaired Professor of Finance at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida, was accused of being one of those people. He is one of three professors fired so far over statements made in the aftermath of Kirk’s assassination.
But there’s a twist: Cole isn’t a liberal. He’s a conservative — and he says he’s been falsely accused.
“We will hunt you down and identify you,” Rebel Cole wrote.
In a GiveSendGo fundraiser, Cole insists he was misrepresented.
“It all started last week, after I witnessed Charlie Kirk’s tragic assassination. I met Charlie at a Florida Atlantic University event several years ago — what a wonderful and peaceful figure. After the assassination, I saw an anonymous post on X with a video of a lunatic chanting, ‘We got Charlie in the neck!’
I responded; there was back and forth. Only my final tweet was picked up by mainstream media: ‘We are going to hunt you down and identify you.’ For that, I have been suspended from my job as a Chaired Professor at Florida Atlantic University and now face massive legal costs to try to defend my job and my reputation.
I knew those disgusting posts weren’t just wrong but were deeply harmful. I felt compelled to step in publicly to call out those dancing on Charlie’s grave, posting on social media to counter their vitriol. It was a small act of support during an incredibly dark time — a decision that would unexpectedly turn my life upside down.”
According to an anonymous internet vigilante, Cole’s comment was “threatening” FAU students. Amidst the chaos of the past two weeks, the university fired him outright — not even placing him on leave pending an investigation.
“I’m now raising funds for my legal defense. It feels surreal, almost dystopian, that defending one principle could lead me here. This isn’t just about money; it’s also about standing firm against baseless charges and continuing the fight for free expression — a right we all hold dear.”
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), a leading national nonprofit defending free speech in academia, has raised concerns that FAU’s actions may run afoul of the Constitution.
“The whole purpose of the First Amendment is to allow free people to discuss societal affairs and political issues,” said Zach Greenberg, counsel with FIRE, in an interview.
“We don’t have free speech to talk about the weather or to say two plus two equals four. We have it to talk about people like Charlie Kirk, his death, and whether it was good or bad.
The university has a high bar to clear to punish these professors for their speech. They must show that the speech is substantially disruptive to the university or shows a manifest unfitness to teach and remain a professor — and that hasn’t been shown yet.”
Email the author Mazelit Toni Airaksinen here: tonimaeairaksinen@gmail.com. You can also follow her on Instagram and X.
