Police are keeping an eye on an evolving situation involving a University of Guelph professor and the reaction to a social-media post they made following Saturday’s assassination attempt on former U.S. president Donald Trump in Pennsylvania.
Not long after the shooting at a Trump rally in Butler, Pa., professor Shoshanna Jacobs posted the comment, “When 4 inches really matters,” inspiring an onslaught of criticism and calls for them to be fired.
Without identifying Jacobs as the target, Guelph police spokesperson Scott Tracey said at least one physical threat was made as well.
“We’re aware of the situation,” said Tracey, who explained police have already spoken with the threat recipient and the University of Guelph campus security to develop safety plans and is looking into at least one threat.
Campus security called police at about 6:30 p.m. on Sunday with concerns about complaints the university had received regarding a professor’s social media post, Tracey noted.
Reached for comment via email, Jacobs said their post has been “completely misinterpreted” and directed Village Media to speak with lawyer Mark Bourrie.
In the social-media thread, Jacobs wrote, “I was making a point about how a couple of inches spared him. That was, of course, before I learned that someone did die. Not sure why my post is being misinterpreted.”
Their account has since been switched from public to private.
“(They) certainly didn't advocate for someone to shoot President Trump, and people are interpreting it as in as negative a way as possible, basically, to go after an academic,” said Bourrie, who said he’s been retained to represent Jacobs on defamation matters.
“I think … the hard right in this country is very anti-intellectual, anti-academic, and they think they have an opportunity to harm the career of one.”
Jacobs is a professor in the department of integrative biology, as well as an adjunct professor in the department of management and an adjunct professor at Queen’s University’s school of environmental studies.
Efforts to o
btain a comment from the U of G was not immediately successful.
In social-media posts, several people criticized Jacobs for the “sick joke” and called for them to be fired. Some also shared contact information for the U of G and encouraged people to contact the school.
“Twitter is a sewer to start with,” said Bourrie. “They’re just like a mob with torches and pitchforks.”
