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UNC Reinstates Professor Dwayne Dixon After Threat Assessment Finds No Policy Violation

The move followed a rapid review triggered by media-fueled claims about his past ties to armed antifascist organizing.

Overview

  • UNC said its Behavioral Threat Assessment team, working with UNC System security and local law enforcement, found no basis to deem Dixon a threat or to cite a policy breach.
  • Dixon had been placed on paid leave Monday during an investigation into alleged advocacy of political violence, and was barred from contacting students and colleagues without prior approval.
  • The ACLU of North Carolina sent a demand letter setting a Friday deadline for his return and alleging First Amendment violations, as AAUP chapters and campus demonstrators pressed for reinstatement.
  • Attention on Dixon intensified after Georgetown flyers referencing "Hey Fascist! Catch!" circulated online and Fox News highlighted a 2018 Harvard panel and his past Redneck Revolt membership; Dixon says he left the chapter in 2018 and the group disbanded in 2019.
  • After being cleared, Dixon said the process was an attempt to suppress his speech, and UNC reiterated its commitment to free expression alongside campus safety.