CBS4 Denver reports that hundreds of University of Colorado faculty members have come to the defense of professor Ward Churchill:

Members of the faculty bought an ad in the Monday edition of the Boulder Daily Camera. The ad demands the university stop [its] investigation.

Churchill’s defenders frame this as an issue of academic freedom, but I wonder how many of these same faculty members would be singing the virtues of academic freedom if Churchill had articulated a controversial right-wing view rather than a controversial left-wing view. Would they be rallying to his support, for example, if he were under fire for defending Japanese internment, supporting enforcement of immigration laws, or opposing affirmative action?

(Hat tip: Bob in Rhode Island.)

Earlier:

Another Bizarre Twist in the Ward Churchill Saga

Ward Churchill: Caught on Tape Advocating Terrorism

Update: Ryan Damron, a student at Eastern Washington Univeristy, writes:

Ward Churchill was invited to come speak at my school some months back by the Native American student group on campus for their Native American Awareness Week in the spring. After the controversy surrounding his scheduled appearance at Hamilton College, the president of the university decided to cancel his appearance, citing security concerns. Of course, the liberal faculty rushed to his defense, citing First Amendment rights. Interestingly, about a year and a half ago, the College Republicans planned to hold an Affirmative Action Bake Sale. When word of that leaked out, the same faculty demanded that Jordan cancel that event. How hypocritical.

He has more here.