Tamar Shirinian, a faculty member at the University of Knoxville, is set to be terminated over a Facebook comment she made about Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist who was fatally shot on September 9. The University of Tennessee in Knoxville announced Monday that they have placed Shirinian on administrative leave and begun termination proceedings.
UT Knoxville said in a statement that Shirinian "failed to meet our expectations for civil engagement," and added that she has been "out of the classroom, placed on administrative leave, and termination proceedings have begun."
What Did Tamar Shirinian Say About Charlie Kirk?
Tamar Shirinian commented on a post on Facebook about Kirk's fatal shooting at Utah Valley University. She said the world is "better off" for Kirk's family without "disgusting psychopath like him."
"The world is better off without him in it. Even those who are claiming to be sad for his wife and kids....like, his kids are better off living in a world without a disgusting psychopath like him and his wife, well, she's a sick fuck for marrying him so I dont care about her feelings."
Who is Tamar Shirinian?
University of Tennessee, Knoxville confirmed that Tamar Shirinian worked as an assistant professor with the Anthropology department. Her biography on the website of UT Knoxville, which has now been taken down following the proceedings against her, states that she is a cultural anthropologist and an author.
{{/usCountry}}University of Tennessee, Knoxville confirmed that Tamar Shirinian worked as an assistant professor with the Anthropology department. Her biography on the website of UT Knoxville, which has now been taken down following the proceedings against her, states that she is a cultural anthropologist and an author.
{{/usCountry}}Shirinian's comment on Charlie Kirk's death went viral on social media, among many other people who faced flak for supposedly celebrating Kirk's murder by 22-year-old suspect, Tyler Robinson. So much so that a campaign started where the email id of UT authorities were shared, asking people to write about the removal of Shirinian.
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The noise around it reached a level where a Republican Congressman from Tennessee, Tim Burchett, responded to a X post on Sunday night, saying that he is 'on it' to push for Tamar Shirinian's removal.
Then, on Monday morning, the UT Knoxville released a statement about her removal. "Her actions endorsing violence and murder do not represent the university or our values." the statement read.
"We have a great responsibility as educators of America’s future leaders to make sure students have a healthy educational environment in which to learn, wrestle with difficult issues, and express themselves civilly. We take that responsibility seriously," it added.