According to a report from The Washington Post, a University of Virginia Professor has gone on leave in response to an uproar after he compared the Black Lives Matter movement to the Ku Klux Klan on social media.

According to Post, the comments made by University of Virginia business Professor Douglas Muir were quickly denounced by university administrators. “The comment was written last week in response to a Facebook post about a Black Lives Matter event in Charlottesville… University officials later issued statements denouncing the comments and distancing themselves from [Professor Douglas] Muir. The professor has since taken leave, according to the university.”

In response to criticism from the University of Virginia community, Muir deleted not only the controversial post but his entire Twitter account as well.

A screenshot that was taken before Muir’s deletion reveals that his comment stated: “Black lives matter is the biggest rasist (sic) organisation (sic) since the clan (sic). Are you kidding me. Disgusting!!!”

University officials put out a statement regarding the comments, arguing that Muir’s post raises concerns about the institution’s commitment to diversity. While the statement claims that the university believes in the importance of free speech and open discussion, it condemns Muir’s comment as “entirely inappropriate.”

A recent comment regarding the Black Lives Matter movement, posted on social media by Doug Muir, a lecturer in our School, has raised serious concerns about UVA Engineering’s commitment to diversity, inclusion and support of populations that are traditionally underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

While free speech and open discussion are fundamental principles of our nation and the University, Mr. Muir’s comment was entirely inappropriate. UVA Engineering does not condone actions that undermine our values, dedication to diversity and educational mission. Our faculty and staff are responsible for upholding our values and demonstrating them to students and the community. Mr. Muir has agreed to take leave and is preparing his own statement to the community.

Tom Ciccotta is a libertarian who writes about Free Speech and Intellectual Diversity for Breitbart. You can follow him on Twitter @tciccotta or email him at tciccotta@breitbart.com