UC Irvine lecturer's Instagram comments appear to praise violence against conservative speaker
A UC Irvine composition lecturer, Matthew Goldman, posted Instagram remarks that seemed to endorse violent action against conservative activist Nick Shirley ahead of his Harvard Republican Club appearance.
Matthew Goldman, a composition lecturer at UC Irvine who also listed a role at Chapman University, posted Instagram comments on the Harvard Republican Club’s announcement of conservative activist Nick Shirley’s campus talk. In the comments he referenced the one-year anniversary of Charlie Kirk’s assassination and wrote, "Someone can do the funniest thing just before the Kirkiversary," followed by a statement about ICE agents that implied they should be dead.
Yard Report captured screenshots before Goldman made his accounts private and his UC Irvine biography disappeared. Chapman University said Goldman is not presently on campus or teaching. The Harvard Republican Club condemned the remarks as evidence of left-wing normalization of political violence, urging stronger security at events.
Why it matters
The incident highlights how extremist rhetoric can surface in academic settings, raising concerns about campus safety and free-speech debates.
How this story developed
- Sep 6 Florida professor reinstated after social-media posts about Charlie Kirk spark controversy
- Sep 8 Turning Point USA’s chapter network kept growing and a Florida professor was reinstated after a legal ruling on her social‑media posts.
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