UPDATE: University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) English assistant professor Dr. Julia Alekseyeva apologized for her comments following the criticism.
A UPenn spokesperson told DVJournal people raised a lot of concern over Alekseyeva’s comments and called them “antithetical to the values of both the School of Arts and Sciences and the University of Pennsylvania, and they were not condoned by the School or the University.”
As for Alekseyeva’s retraction the spokesperson welcomed the move, and said they “regret any dismay or concern this may have caused.”
ORIGINAL STORY: When New York City police announced the arrest of Luigi Mangione, the accused murderer of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, enraged leftists took to social media with a show of support for the 26-year-old alleged shooter.
One of those was University of Pennsylvania’s Dr. Julia Alekseyeva, an assistant professor of English.
Alekseyeva, whose website describes her as a “socialist and ardent antifascist,” called Mangione “The icon we all need and deserve” on Instagram. She also posted a link to a satirical article with the headline “Man Engages in Beautiful Italian-American Tradition of Taking Matters Into His Own Hands.”
A native of Kyiv, Ukraine, Alekseyeva is active in Democratic Socialists of America’s Philadelphia chapter. She used social media to promote socialist activities and policy including the writings of Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin. A photo of the slogan ‘Capitalism Is The Virus’ is featured on her Facebook profile.
After her comments praising the alleged murderer were highlighted by others in social media, Alekseyeva deleted her TikTok account and made her Instagram private.
Alekseyeva wrote and illustrated a graphic novel examining the political similarities between herself and her Soviet great-grandmother (a Red Army lieutenant and secretary in the NKVD secret police). A soon-to-be published book will explore how 1960s leftist filmmakers drew inspiration from 1920s Soviet artists.
Earlier this year, she participated in an event called ‘To Make the Revolution Irresistible: The Role of the Artist in the 21st Century’ at UPenn’s Cinema & Media Studies.
Following Republican Donald Trump’s victory against Democrat Kamala Harris last month, Alekseyeva called for collective action by leftwing advocates. But instead of riots, she encouraged people to follow the ‘Keep your side of the street clean’ maxim.
“[That] means acting with dignity and thoughtfulness to the best of my abilities (I f**** up sometimes, as we all do), trying not to speak ill of others,” Alekseyeva wrote on Substack. “[T]he more you are able to act with dignity and kindness toward both yourself and the world, the more effective your work in the world will be.”
Three weeks later, she made the posts that appeared to praise Thompson’s murder.
University of Pennsylvania officials have not said if they had seen Alekseyeva’s social media posts or whether she violated any university rules. Alekseyeva did not respond to DVJournal’s request for a comment.
Alekseyeva isn’t the only member of the American Left with ambiguous views about the murder of a health insurance executive.
CNN’s Audie Cornish led a panel discussion of the Thompson murder and the acquittal of Daniel Penny in New York City with the question, “Tell me which vigilante action is okay?”
In the Penny case, he was using a chokehold to restrain a dangerous and unstable man, Jordan Neely, who was threatening people on a subway car. Neely died. Penny was acquitted by a Manhattan jury.
In the Thompson case, his killer Mangione stalked him on a public street and gunned him down from behind.
Social media is full of comments from leftists hailing Mangione’s alleged actions. One X user asked if Mangione had a GoFundMe account. Another said he was “only guilty of being hot.” A third self-identified communist posted a meme that positively referenced other billionaire deaths in recent years.
Merchandise with the phrase “Deny, Defend, Depose,” – a variation of the message Mangione allegedly scratched onto shell casings found at the scene of Thompson’s killing – appeared online. Police believe the phrase came from a book critical of the health insurance industry.
Amazon removed the merchandise, citing a violation of its policies, according to The Washington Post.
There’s even Mangione fan fiction.
Cornish’s comparison inspired a response from CNN political contributor Scott Jennings.
“If you’re on the American left tonight, here’s my chart: The good guys today — Daniel Penny. The bad guys — Luigi Mangione. That’s it.”
