The University of Nebraska-Lincoln received a torrent of online abuse following the actions of Bruce Fischer, one of its professors.
Fischer is the husband of Sen. Deborah Fischer (R-Neb).
On Friday, she was sworn by Vice President Kamala Harris after winning re-election. During the ceremony, Bruce Fischer was filmed declined to shake Harris’ hand.
A video of the exchange gained traction after getting posted over the weekend by political commentator Brian Tyler Cohen.
In the clip, Fischer takes the oath and shakes hands with Harris. Harris addresses the senator, saying, “Congratulations. Thank you for your work.”
Harris then turns to Bruce Fischer asking “may I congratulate you?” and holds out her hand. Fischer then replies “thank you” but declines to shake her outstretched hand.
Reacting to the clip, Cohen wrote, “The level of class you can expect from MAGA.”
Left-wing supporters have come to Harris' defense, criticizing the senator’s husband as a “racist” and “sexist.”
Another responded to the clip, saying, “What an absolutely pathetic display of fragility and hate. The bare minimum—shaking someone’s hand—is apparently too much for these people. This is cave-dweller behavior, plain and simple. No class, no decency, just pure spite.”
Some accused Cohen of a misleading edit of the video clip. People pointed out Fischer’s use of a walking cane and the fact he was holding a Bible as part of the swearing-in ceremony, making it difficult for him to shake Harris’ hand.
One wrote, “He had a Bible in one hand and his cane in the other. What exactly was he supposed to do?”
However, internet users tracked down old video of FIscher’s previous swearing-in, where she shook then-Vice President Mike Pence’s hand.
In 2013, noticeably less partisan times, Fischer also shook the hand of then-Vice Joe President Biden.
Despite these different interpretations of the video, upset liberals targeted social media accounts of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where Bruce Fischer works, condemning the college and his actions.
Bruce Fischer works as an associate professor in the School of Architectural Engineering and Construction.
In response to one of the University’s latest posts, one X user wrote, “Guess your colleague Bruce Fischer represents @UNLincoln’s culture of hate and divisiveness. You must all be so proud.”
Another responded, “You’d think a professor would have more manners that Bruce Fischer. I’m sure he expects it of his students yet when our black VP extends a hand, he displays his obvious contempt. Not because he’s a Democrat but because she’s not white.”
The movement crossed social platforms, with users on Facebook responding to recent posts by the university to complain about Fischer’s action.
"Very disrespectful professor you have there. I would be very careful, cautious, and leery to be a student at your school, especially if Black, female, or liberal. Unwelcoming, rude, petty," they said.
"What is University of Nebraska-Lincoln going to do about the public display of blatant misogyny and racism demonstrated by Prof. Bruce Fischer? He not only represents the University but the state and its unacceptable," they wrote.
And a recent post on Instagram of a snowstorm on campus was flooded with remarks as well.
"How do we formally protest Fischer’s job? A public university should not be represented by someone who was so disrespectful of the position of the vice president, whether Democratic or Republican. Stay home if you are going to act like a child," wrote a poster.
Neither the University of Nebraska-Lincoln nor Bruce Fischer have addressed the snub publicly.
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