Controversial Syd uni professor suspended
Controversial University of Sydney Professor Barry Spurr has been suspended over inflammatory emails including derogatory references to Aboriginals, Asians and women.
Prof Spurr recently contributed to a review of the national curriculum.
"Professor Spurr is suspended, effective immediately, from teaching and engaging in any other University business and is precluded from attending any University campus, while the matter is investigated," the university said in a statement.
"Racist, sexist or offensive language is not tolerated at the University of Sydney.
"The expectations for our staff and affiliates in respect of their professional and personal conduct are clearly set out in the University's Code of Conduct."
Students were informed of the decision while marching to the professor's office, and broke into cheers at the announcement.
About a hundred students and some staff members had earlier attended a midday rally calling on the university to sack Prof Spurr.
One of his students, Riki Scanlan, was tempted to boycott class if Mr Spurr continued teaching.
"I and other people in my class felt ... really distressed at the fact that he's teaching students while those students are themselves from the same backgrounds he's called `chinkypoos' and `abos'," Ricky said.
"He's an incredibly old-fashioned and stern lecturer ... and quite clearly he has old-fashioned, racist views."
Prof Spurr described Tony Abbott as an "Abo lover" and called Nelson Mandela a "darkie" in the emails published by website New Matilda on Thursday.
"One day the Western world will wake up, when the Mussies and the chinky-poos have taken over," he wrote.
In emails to New Matilda, seen by AAP, he defended his comments by claiming they were part of a "whimsical linguistic game" with a colleague with whom he would try "to outdo one another in extreme statements".
"These are emails of mock-shocking repartee, mocking, in fact that very kind of extreme language."
However, students were unimpressed.
"Those remarks should be never ever be said in any context, calling us Abos, the very sexist remarks about women, and being quite racist towards other minority groups," said student Indigenous Officer Kyol Blakeney.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott defended the integrity of the national curriculum review to which Mr Spurr was one of 15 independent experts commissioned.
"The government appointed two people, and they appointed further people to advise on other aspects," he said.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten described Mr Abbott's response as "inadequate".
"I notice the Education Minister basically disowned this person's conduct," he said.
"The remarks this professor made are disgusting."
