UCT Commerce Prof explains: Why I called protestors “selfish f..ing c…ts”

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Academic Peter Ouwehand was angry and admits he would probably do it again. But whatever the merits (or demerits) of firing off a string of expletives at a group of protesting students, his actions will have consequences. Welcome, Prof, to the age of visibility. As the group of Hilton College students discovered when someone posted their “simulated rape” picture on Instagram last week, privacy can no longer be taken for granted. The Oracle of Omaha, Warren Buffett, tells us to never do anything of which we’d be ashamed were it to end up on the front page of a Sunday newspaper. Never has that advice been more prescient. – Alec Hogg

By Tammy Petersen, News24

Cape Town – The associate professor who referred to students as “selfish f…ing c..ts” told News24 on Monday that while he had apologised for the incident, he would most likely “do it again” because he gets angry easily.

University of Cape Town (UCT) Faculty of Commerce Associate Professor Peter Ouwehand was recorded saying these words when referring to a group of protesters. In an interview on Monday after the incident, he acknowledged that while it was not “okay to talk to people like that”, he did so because he was angry.

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“It’s exam time next week [and] they are preventing people from coming onto campus,” Ouwehand said.

The video of Ouwehand was recorded on Monday morning by Twitter user Raeesa Pather. By Monday afternoon it had been retweeted more than 300 times.

In the video, Ouwehand is seen getting out of his car and is heard telling the group, “You guys are not helping. Those poor students are not going to get any of their lecturers in here today. How is this going to help? Why are you doing this? Bloody hell, it makes me insane.”

As he gets back into his car, he is heard calling the students “fucking selfish cunts”.

“There were about 12 of them,” he told News24.

“They were privileged. All of them were sitting there on the grass with an Apple laptop and I do not think, judging by what I saw, that they were doing the poorer students any good.” Ouwehand said protesters could protest at any time of the year. “But the exams are next week. To prevent student access now is actually almost criminal. “I’m not saying it’s okay to talk to people like that, but I did because I was angry. Next time I am angry I will probably do it again.” When asked if he wanted to apologise to the students, he said: “Actually, I did. I walked up to them and chatted to them and told them, ‘I am sorry for what I just called you’.

“I flare up quickly and I calm down again quickly.”

But Ouwehand insisted the students “are wrong in this”.

“They may be right about the issue, but they are wrong about the time. Now is a dreadful time.”

UCT spokesperson Pat Lucas confirmed the university was investigating the incident.

Students are protesting at several universities nationwide against proposed fee increases for 2016. – News24

Source: http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/I-was-angry-associate-prof-says-after-swearing-at-students-20151019

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