A university professor has been fired after he called out Swedish green agenda activist Gret Thunberg on social media.
In a post on X, renowned Australian human resources Professor Andrew Timming questioned the double standard of Thunberg’s social media messaging.
Just days before Christmas, Timming was fired from the college over a single X post.
Timming was a faculty member at RMIT University in Australia.
This situation was reportedly triggered by a simple tweet he posted about climate activist Greta Thunberg nearly a year earlier.
Timming claimed that his dismissal represented the climax of a prolonged offensive against him.
Timming’s career took a hit following a tweet he posted.
The incident stemmed from a viral exchange on social media involving Thunberg and Andrew Tate.
Tate, who posted a photo with his Bugatti, boasting about owning 33 cars.
He provocatively asked Thunberg for her email to send her a list of the cars’ “enormous emissions.”
Thunberg responded with sarcasm: “Yes, please do enlighten me.
“Email me at smalldickenergy@getalife.com.”
yes, please do enlighten me. email me at smalldickenergy@getalife.com https://t.co/V8geeVvEvg
— Greta Thunberg (@GretaThunberg) December 28, 2022
Amidst this online spat, Professor Timming saw an opportunity to comment on what he perceived as a gender-based disparity in humor.
He highlighted the contrast in reactions to sexual jokes depending on whether they’re made by a man or a woman.
His tweet juxtaposed two phrases, both followed by emojis, to illustrate his point.
The first phrase, “Demeaning sexual jokes when directed from a woman to a man,” was accompanied by smiley and wink emojis.
The second, “Demeaning sexual jokes when directed from a man to a woman,” was followed by a bomb and skull-and-crossbones emojis, signifying a more critical reaction.
Following the post, RMIT threatened Timming with disciplinary action and bullied him for his comments, he said on his website.
He filed an official complaint in May 2023, alleging a violation of the school’s academic freedom policy.
One week later, Timming said he was “stood down,” or suspended, by RMIT because the university had initiated a clause in his contract with the school called “Termination of Employment on Grounds of Ill Health,” according to his website.
However, Timming claimed that the day before, RMIT was provided with a doctor’s note, clearing him to work.
The university fired him in December 2023, allegedly for neglecting to teach courses that were not in his “work plan,” responsibilities he had been disputing under the RMIT Enterprise Bargaining Agreement.
The real reason he was fired “was over [the] tweet,” Timming wrote.
“When they want you out, they just push you out,” Timming said regarding RMIT’s alleged use of “ill health” as grounds for initially suspending him.
At present, Timming is fighting his termination with an appeal to RMIT’s vice chancellor, who must convene an appeal panel chaired by a non-employee of the university.
The Free Speech Union of Australia, with which Timming is associated, has launched a petition for his reinstatement at RMIT.
“Professor Andrew Timming was unlawfully dismissed by RMIT for sending an innocuous tweet,” the petition states.
“We call on Professor Alec Cameron, the Vice Chancellor of RMIT, to uphold his appeal, restore academic freedom, and respect workplace rights.”
Timming has vowed to continue fighting to make sure all are safe from being punished for exercising their right to free expression.
“I’m on a mission to ensure that no one is sacked for standing up for the right to free speech,” Timming told The Fix.
“This mission extends beyond RMIT. It extends beyond Australian universities.
“The woke agenda is infiltrating higher education across the Western world and it must be stopped.”
