Former UCLA ‘Philosophy Of Race’ Lecturer Makes Racially Charged Shooting Threat Against School

The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) canceled in-person classes Tuesday after a former lecturer made threats in a racially charged email to the philosophy department, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The former UCLA postdoctoral fellow, Matthew Harris, sent an email to members of the philosophy department including a video titled “UCLA Philosophy Mass Shooting” and an 800-page manifesto with “specific threats” to department members, the Times reported.

The email contained references to race, including “da war is comin … forward dis [expletive] to our tha goldhead caucasoid princess.”

Harris worked on “philosophy of race, personal identity, and related issues” while at UCLA, a department newsletter said. He lectured for several courses, including “Philosophy of Race,” according to the Daily Bruin.

Harris’ YouTube channel hosted over 300 videos, most of which were uploaded Monday, but the account was terminated late Monday, the Times reported. “We must now go on the offense,” Harris said in a video shared by Newsweek. The video shared in the email to the philosophy department included references to the Columbine shooting and the 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas, the Times reported.

Harris was placed on leave in the spring semester of 2021 while UCLA investigated allegations that he sent a pornographic video to a student, according to the Daily Bruin.

“Out-of-state law enforcement has confirmed that the person who made threats to UCLA is under observation and not in California. Classes will remain remote today,” a UCLA communications employee told the Daily Caller News Foundation. He declined to answer whether Harris raised any flags for racial animosity during his tenure at UCLA.