University of Alberta says law professor is back at work after being placed on leave over social media posts about death Charlie KirkAmerican conservative activist.
But an Edmonton school teacher says questions remain about why it happened in the first place.
Florence Ashley, who uses they/them pronouns, said they were reinstated two weeks ago after being notified on September 14 that they were being placed on non-disciplinary leave.
The university said at the time that the measures were taken during the review amid concerns about public safety.
“This is not an acceptable way to behave if it's just a safety issue,” Ashley said Monday.
“It certainly affects my reputation as a teacher and as a professional. It's quite concerning.”
The school said the review has been completed and Ashley has been reinstated.
“It has been determined that there is no immediate risk associated with this incident,” the university said.
The university did not respond to questions about whether it reviews the professor's posts or what threats he faces.
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Ashley said they were not asked to participate in the review and was concerned the actions were taken to suppress free speech.
Ashley said they had posted on social media that Kirk's death should not destroy what they called his “hateful legacy.”
“People can of course agree or disagree with this, but it was not cruel, hateful, harassing, discriminatory, illegal or otherwise outside the bounds of academic freedom,” Ashley said of the post.
Ashley said the university told them the posts were getting too much attention and that the groups had received threats.
They said the university's decision to place them on leave left faculty members with the impression that they were being reprimanded for bringing attention to Kirk's story.
Ashley's temporary ban from teaching was one of several consequences of Kirk's death in Canada.
A week before Ashley's furlough was announced, the University of Toronto said it placed the religion and political science professor on leave after she shared what the institution described as a reaction to Kirk's murder.
Around the same time, Ottawa police also charged a man with allegedly making threats against a local high school in response to a staff member's social media post about Kirk.
The principal of a public school in Toronto's Scarborough district said a teacher was also suspended after students were shown a “violent” video related to a “recent tragic event in the United States.”
Vigils were also held in some Canadian cities following Kirk's death.
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