A professor at the Minnesota State University, Mankato publicly expressed his support on Facebook for the individual responsible for the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson
Political Science professor Kevin Parsneau commented on a post, “how long do we really need to look for Brian Thompson’s killer?,” according to KEYC.
Parsneau further commented: “It’s going to be disappointing if he’s a one-off killer instead of a serial killer,” according to Alpha News.
U.S. Rep. Brad Finstad (R-MN) called for the university to terminate the professor, and sent the school a letter condemning the professor’s remarks.
“Violence of any kind must be condemned in the strongest terms and Mr. Parsneau’s recent comment is reprehensible,” Representative Finstad’s letter read. “It is acutely unacceptable that this professor is provided with a platform to be in the presence of students or involved in academia in any form.”
The recent comments made on social media by Prof. Parsneau are completely unacceptable. Violent rhetoric, especially from those within our institutions of higher education, is reprehensible, which is why I am calling on @MNSUMankato to demand his immediate resignation. pic.twitter.com/4c6NzxFuCJ
— Congressman Brad Finstad (@RepFinstad) December 11, 2024
“I call on Minnesota State University, Mankato, to demand this professor’s immediate resignation,” Representative Finstad wrote.
The professor’s comments also prompted university President, Edward Inch, to send a statement to the community denouncing violence.
Inch stated that staff are expected to represent the university, but he emphasized that the institution does not endorse or support Parsneau’s comments.
Parsneau didn’t apologize for his remarks in a comment to KEYC, but said it was “insensitive.”
”My comment was a social media response to a friend meant to reflect the tone of his initial question. I had never heard of Thompson before his murder, and I wasn’t advocating curtailing the investigation or his assassination. It was an insensitive comment after the fact, and it was meant to be about the larger social media reaction to the crime, which I believe reflects public frustration with the health insurance industry and the countless tragic stories of denied health care. Rep. Finstad should spend his time addressing that crisis instead of being a cancel culture activist.
Campus Reform has contacted Kevin Parsneau, Minnesota State University, Mankato, and Representative Brad Finstad for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
This article was originally published at campusreform.org
