Georgia professor’s immigration comments cause stir on social media

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A Georgia Gwinnett College professor’s online comments about illegal immigrants have prompted some, including a state lawmaker, to say he should be reprimanded or fired.

The professor, a Chinese legal immigrant, says of the criticism: Bring it on.Fang Zhou, an associate history professor at the college, is being criticized by some for using phrases such as “ghetto thugs” and “libtards” in social media conversations about illegal immigration and for saying he has a “Deportation of illegal immigrants” sign in his office.He remarked: “I am against political correctness. I speak truth to power in class and my students learn about the financial drain of illegal immigration on the economy and the high crime rates of illegal immigrants. My students are ‘woke’ and are overwhelmingly against illegal immigration after taking my class.”

Zhou, who describes himself as an “active anti-illegal immigration activist” said he welcomed the criticism.“Everybody has free speech, so (Nguyen’s) welcome to complain,” Zhou told the AJC.Zhou, who began teaching at the college in 2010, said he does not force students to share his viewpoints and discusses other topics in his classroom.

Zhou said he has plenty of students who disagree with his viewpoints, some have sent him hate mail. Critics, he said, must come with information to defend their position.“To make a convincing argument, please present evidence,” Zhou said.?Zhou’s comments are the latest made by faculty members and students at Georgia’s public colleges and universities to come under fire.

Earlier this year, critics called for the ouster of an African American teaching assistant at the University of Georgia who made comments some believe supported violence against whites. A student panel in May cleared the assistant, Irami Osei-Frimpong, of charges he falsified his graduate school application.