Joshua Clover is a professor of English at the University of California, Davis, and specializes in “critical theory, Marxism, political theory, political economy, poetry, and poetics.”

A signatory to the US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, Clover has compared Israel to Nazi Germany and described it as an “eliminationist ethnostate.” A self-described communist, Clover has cited his world view as justification for the destruction of Israel as a state.

On a number of accusations, Clover has openly called for violence against police officers. In 2020, he praised rioters for burning police stations, stating that law enforcement’s role is to protect private property and is, therefore “fundamentally anti-black.”

“…the police role in making sure property stays property is fundamentally anti-black, fundamentally white supremacist, and the same time that it’s fundamentally in defense of capital.” 

“Ten days ago, there were 330 million Americans who did not know a single thing; they didn’t know that you could sack a police station…People recognize the police are the source of  their unfreedom, and they fight back against them.” 

Clover was condemned after past tweets and statements in a 2015 San Francisco Weekly interview advocating for the murder of police officers.

“People think that cops need to be reformed. They need to be killed. “What’s wrong with society today?”

“I am thankful that every living cop will one day be dead, some by their own hand, some by others, too many of old age #letsnotmakemore,”

Prior to a visit by Charlie Kirk for a lecture, Clover condemns the “white nationalist” Kirk and TPUSA—who he accuses of being an “organization of Hitler enjoyers”—in an article for The California Aggie. Describing the First Amendment as an “ethnically repugnant law,” Clover calls for students to “teach Charlie Kirk a lesson” as they have for other speakers who were driven off campus by violent protests.

 

Updated – March 10, 2023