An African-American professor has been sacked by her New Jersey university after comments she made in defence of Black Lives Matter during an interview with US network Fox News.
Speaking to host Tucker Carlson on June 6, Professor Lisa Durden came out firing after he suggested the Black Lives Matter movement was causing greater division between races in the US.
"What I say to that is 'boo hoo hoo'. White people are angry because you couldn't use your white privilege card to get invited to the Black Lives Matter memorial day celebration - wow!" she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"White folks crack me up when all of a sudden we want to have one day for black folks to focus on ourselves. You've been having 'white day' forever.
"You don't say the words any more because you know it's politically incorrect - but we have an all white Oscars, movies with all white actors … it took 11 years to get a black Bachelorette. Are you serious?"
In response to her answers, Carlson called her "demented", "separatist" and even likened her to a Nazi.
Prof Durden's comments drew the ire of Fox News' predominantly conservative audience, and became enough of a talking point on campus that some students expressed their "frustration, concern and even fear" over her ability to teach them.
Following a review, Lisa Durden was fired by Essex County College on Friday - the tertiary institute's president Anthony Munroe saying her remarks had "become a very contentious and divisive issue" on campus.
"In consideration of the College's mission, and the impact that this matter has had on the College's fulfilment of its mission, we cannot maintain an employment relationship with the adjunct," he said.
A petition has since been launched calling for Essex County College to reinstate Prof Durden, and she has now hired a lawyer to challenge her firing.
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