A controversial University of Lethbridge professor returned to work on Thursday after being suspended for spreading conspiracy theories.
Dr. Anthony Hall was suspended without pay in October of 2016 following comments he made online suggesting there was a Zionist connection to the 9/11 attacks, and that the events of the Holocaust should be up for debate.
The university’s board of governors and faculty association did not grant interview requests because of legal issues at play. Instead, they issued a joint statement regarding Dr. Hall’s return to the classroom.
“The Board of Governors of the University of Lethbridge and the University of Lethbridge Faculty Association have agreed that the outstanding issues that have been raised concerning Dr. Anthony Hall will be addressed in the context of the faculty handbook. As a result, the suspension imposed on Dr. Hall has been lifted and he has returned back to work at the University,” the statement said. “The parties will be fully participating in the agreed upon processes in the faculty handbook to investigate and address the outstanding issues.”
Two months after Hall was suspended, the university filed a complaint against him to the Alberta Human Rights Commission over comments Jewish groups have called anti-Semitic.
Hall’s pay was reinstated at the time, citing the potential length of the complaint process.
Global News spoke to the commission on Thursday but, due to privacy issues, no information on the status of the case was provided.
The advocate group Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) and the Calgary Jewish Federation released a joint statement on Friday saying the two were “disappointed” about Hall’s return to the university.
“While we recognize due process is crucial in labour matters, we firmly believe this investigation must conclude with his permanent dismissal,” Jared Shore, chair of the Calgary Jewish Federation’s Community Relations Committee, said. “Hall is a hateful conspiracy theorist who should have no place on campus.”
The CEO of the CIJA described Hall’s return as offensive to the community and “an insult to academia.”
“Those who peddle anti-Semitic conspiracies disqualify themselves from a place of higher learning,” Shimom Koffler Fogel said. “We have been in direct communication with the university and the Government of Alberta at the highest levels to convey our concerns.”
Premier Rachel Notley addressed the concerns to the CIJA and the Calgary Jewish Federation in an email to the two groups.
“There is no question that the views of this individual are repulsive, offensive and not reflective of Alberta,” she wrote. “Our classrooms are a place for freedom of speech and expression but that does not mean individuals get to stand at the head of the class and spread lies and conspiracy theories.”
Hall has spent over two and a half decades at the U of L, teaching Native American studies, liberal education and globalization.
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