UNC Places Professor on Leave Over John Brown Ties

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill placed Dr. Dwayne Dixon, a professor of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, on administrative leave while it investigates reports he allegedly advocated politically motivated violence and has ties to the anti‑fascist gun network Redneck Revolt/John Brown Gun Club. The action followed social‑media posts and a Turning Point USA report about flyers and a QR code linked to the John Brown Gun Club after the fatal shooting of Turning Point founder Charlie Kirk, a development that intensified scrutiny of “antifa” networks nationally. UNC Vice Chancellor Dean Stoyer said the leave will allow a thorough assessment and that findings could result in discipline up to termination, while the university reiterated support for rigorous debate but said advocacy or sympathy for violence will not be tolerated. Students, faculty, the UNC AAUP and labor and student groups have rallied in support of Dixon, arguing the leave violates his First Amendment and due‑process rights; Dixon says he left Redneck Revolt years ago and that the organization disbanded in 2019. Conservative outlets highlighted a 2018 video of Dixon headlining a Harvard panel in which he discussed armed self‑defense and Redneck Revolt’s role in counterprotests, further fueling controversy. The investigation is ongoing and the case underscores wider national tensions over how universities and law enforcement should respond to alleged extremist or paramilitary organizing.