The College Fix

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A transgender associate professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago posted on social media that Israelis are “pigs” and “savages,” prompting alarm and anger from observers.

On Instagram, Professor Mika Tosca wrote: “Israelis are pigs. Savages. Very very bad people. Irredeemable excrement. … May they all rot in hell.”

Tosca’s post also argued Israel is engaging in “propaganda” and is responsible for “crimes against humanity” recently and in decades past. The post was made in the wake of deadly terrorist attacks against Israel by Hamas that killed more than 1,100 civilians, including women and children.

The Instagram post was screenshot and shared by Stop Antisemitism, prompting it to go viral and cause outrage.

The group tagged the school on X and stated “your Israeli and Jewish students deserve better than being taught by this hate filled instructor.”

“Israelis are pigs. Savages. Very very bad people. Irredeemable excrement. May they rot in hell”. – Mika Tosca, associate professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago @saic_news your Israeli and Jewish students deserve better than being taught by this hate filled… pic.twitter.com/p1KF3FS3En

— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) October 18, 2023

In a statement Wednesday to The College Fix, a spokesperson for the School of the Art Institute of Chicago condemned the comments.

“One member of our community expressed hateful views, which SAIC repudiates. Those views are not reflective of the School or the values we as a community share,” spokesperson Bree Witt said via email.

Tosca did not respond to an email Wednesday from The College Fix seeking comment.

Tosca’s professional bio describes the scholar as a “climate scientist, humanist and activist.”

However Tosca’s Instragram bio states the professor is “Chicago’s radically optimistic transsexuals climate scientist.” It adds that the views expressed on the profile do not represent the school.

“Israelis are pigs. Savages. Very very bad people. Irredeemable excrement…May they rot in hell”.

Mika Tosca, a leftist trans activist and associate professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago @saic_news wrote a screed against Israelis, dehumanizing them as… pic.twitter.com/9vAYBduf9a

— Andy Ngô 🏳️‍🌈 (@MrAndyNgo) October 18, 2023

Some comments on social media pointed out the irony that Tosca’s sexual orientation and transgenderism would lead to persecution and possible execution in many Middle Eastern countries, yet the scholar hates Israel, which is the most tolerant country in the region.

On Thursday, Tosca issued an apology, the New York Post reported.

“Yesterday I wrote some things on my Instagram story that I unequivocally reject and do not stand behind,” Tosca wrote. “I am deeply sorry for writing what I wrote, and for hurting many people with my words, and I am especially sorry to Israeli people that I broadly placed at fault for the war.”

Editor’s note: After publication, Tosca issued an apology. The article has been updated to reflect that development.

MORE: Cornell condemns comments by professor who called Hamas attacks ‘exhilarating’

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