UNC Professor on Administrative Leave Over Alleged Advocacy of Political Violence
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has placed Professor Dwayne Dixon on administrative leave following concerns about his alleged advocacy of politically motivated violence. Dixon, who teaches in the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, is a self-identified member of Redneck Revolt, a far-left gun club described by the Counter Extremism Project as standing “against capitalism and the concept of the nation-state, including its symbols such as police, prisons, and courts.” The university’s investigation could potentially lead to disciplinary action up to and including termination, as they evaluate whether Dixon’s activities violate the institution’s policies on academic tenure and professional conduct.
The university’s Vice Chancellor for Marketing and Communications, Dean Stoyer, emphasized that UNC remains committed to “rigorous debate, respectful engagement and open dialogue in support of free speech,” while asserting there is “no place for or tolerance of inciting or extending sympathy toward violence of any kind within the UNC community.” The temporary leave will allow for a thorough assessment of the allegations, though no specific timeline has been established. This action comes amid increasing national attention to professors and academic institutions whose affiliations or statements appear to endorse political violence, particularly following recent incidents like the assassination attempt on conservative commentator Charlie Kirk.
Dixon’s involvement with politically charged demonstrations goes back several years. In 2017, he participated in an anti-KKK rally in Durham, North Carolina, where he was charged with having a weapon at a public assembly and “going armed to the terror of people” – both misdemeanors that were eventually dropped. That same year, Dixon and other Redneck Revolt members were present at the infamous neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, where counterprotester Heather Heyer was killed. During a subsequent Harvard University panel, Dixon claimed he had encountered James Fields, Heyer’s murderer, before the attack, stating, “One time he paused right in front of me, and I waved him off with my rifle.” The city of Charlottesville later sued Redneck Revolt along with right-wing groups for allegedly violating anti-paramilitary laws, leading to a consent decree to avoid trial.
In 2018, Dixon faced another charge of simple assault related to unrest during the toppling of the Confederate “Silent Sam” statue on UNC’s campus, though this charge was also dismissed. Redneck Revolt is connected to the John Brown Gun Club, which recently attracted attention for posting recruitment flyers at Georgetown University that appeared to celebrate Kirk’s assassination. These flyers contained language referencing the writing allegedly found on bullet casings used by Tyler Robinson, the suspect in the assassination attempt, and promoted the group as “the only political group that celebrates when Nazis die.” The materials invited potential members who were “done with ceremonial resistance and strongly worded letters” and wanted to “make a real change.”
The John Brown Gun Club has been linked to several serious incidents of political violence in recent years. Earlier in 2024, twelve people were charged after an attack on an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Alvarado, Texas. One suspect, Benjamin Song, identified as a member of the group, faced three counts of attempted murder of federal agents and three counts of discharging a firearm. In 2023, Song was sued by a right-wing organization called the New Columbia Movement, which alleged he pepper-sprayed their members while providing security at a drag event in Fort Worth as part of the John Brown Gun Club’s Elm Fork Chapter, though no criminal charges resulted from this incident.
Perhaps the most extreme case connected to the John Brown Gun Club occurred in 2019, when Willem van Spronsen was killed by authorities while attempting to bomb an ICE detention center. Van Spronsen, who left behind a manifesto declaring “I am Antifa,” attacked the facility with a propane tank and Molotov cocktails before being shot by police. Following his death, he was celebrated by some left-wing activists as a “martyr” to their cause. These incidents illustrate the growing concern among academic institutions about faculty connections to groups that appear to endorse political violence, as universities like UNC attempt to balance commitments to free expression with maintaining safe campus environments that discourage extremism of any kind.
