A Texas State University student has been expelled after a video showed him appearing to mimic and make fun of the September 10 shooting death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
In a video that was shared on X, the unidentified student, who is Black, is initially seen in the midst of a crowd as he repeatedly slaps his neck and seemingly mentions the name Charlie. He is then seen slapping his neck again and appearing to convulse.
His actions appear to trigger a response from some of the onlookers, and he is subsequently seen walking towards a statue and climbing up its pedestal. He is then seen slapping his neck again and falling on the ground, and some people in the crowd appear to react in shock. The student is later seen descending the statue and walking away.
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The student’s actions were condemned on social media, with Texas Governor Greg Abbott also entering the mix and calling for the student to be disciplined in a post on X.
“Hey Texas State. This conduct is not accepted at our schools,” Abbott quoted on the video. “Expel this student immediately. Mocking assassination must have consequences.”
After the video made rounds, Texas State University President Kelly Damphousse, in a statement on Tuesday, said that he had been made aware of the “disturbing video that was taken at an event on our San Marcos campus on Monday.”
Damphousse condemned the student’s actions and said he had “directed university officials to take immediate steps to identify the individual in the video.”
In an update the same day, Damphousse announced that the university had identified the student in question.
“I will not tolerate behavior that mocks, trivializes, or promotes violence on our campuses,” Damphousse said in his statement. “It is antithetical to our TXST values.”
READ ALSO: NY school cop removed over comments made about Charlie Kirk’s killing
Damphousse also said the “individual is no longer a student at TXST,” adding that “federal law prevents the university from commenting further on individual student matters.”
“Unfortunately, some people are suggesting that the individual’s actions represent the beliefs of TXST students in general or those of specific student organizations,” he added. “These kinds of insinuations are unfair to our student body, and they cause some of our students to feel unsafe.”
Damphousse continued: “Just as the behavior in the video was reprehensible, attempts to spread the blame onto innocent students are also unacceptable. The actions of one person do not reflect our entire community or the individuals in it.”
Per The Texas Tribune, the student being disciplined for his actions adds up to other Texas campus cases where people have been removed because of comments they made about Kirk’s shooting death.
But faculty and advocacy groups are saying that such decisions are worrying, as it is a violation of the First Amendment as well as a curtailment of free speech.
“People need to be able to express themselves, even in ways that offend others, because a lot of politics is going to be offensive,” Dominic Coletti, the student press program officer for the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, said on Wednesday.
“A lot of politics is going to be controversial, and without allowing people to engage in that kind of controversial speech, without allowing people to engage in that kind of offensive speech, you risk silencing debate.”
READ ALSO: Obama, Kamala Harris, other Democrats condemn the killing of Trump ally Charlie Kirk
