UBC chair forced to resign from board of governors for liking tweets critical of Black Lives Matter

The chair of the University of British Columbia's board of governors has resigned after criticizing and pushing back against Black Lives Matter—a socialist movement that has taken part in the violence and destruction amid the death of George Floyd.

Michael Korenberg's resignation comes after a group called UBC Students Against Bigotry posted a series of photos of Korenberg's Twitter account that revealed tweets he liked that included support for President Donald Trump and referencing the violent lootings that have taken place across the US.

The university said in a statement Saturday evening that Korenberg would be stepping down from his post on the board of governors, according to CBC.

"The Board of Governors and Mr. Korenberg would like to recognize that this has been deeply hurtful to members of our community and that UBC has zero tolerance for racism and recognizes that real harm is created from both overt and structural racism," the statement said, despite the fact that there was no overt demonstration of racism on the part of Korenberg.

Korenberg folded, by saying he "thoughtlessly" supported regressive voices and made efforts to discredit "broad-based, legal and necessary protest."

"As a result, my interactions have been interpreted in a manner that creates questions about who I am and what I believe in," the statement continued.

"I wholeheartedly apologize for them, particularly to the students, faculty and staff of UBC."

In his statement on Saturday, Korenberg mentioned that he is committed to "erasing racism, hate and discrimination" from society.

Korenberg took to Twitter, making known his support for Black Lives Matter and acknowledging that he apparently hurt people in liking social media posts.

Korenberg was an adjunct professor in UBC's Allard School of Law for 24 years. He was also a part of the Dean's Advisory Committee.

BC's Advanced Education Minister Melanie Mark stated that she learned of Korenberg's resignation Saturday.

"Our government and UBC are deeply committed to inclusion, justice and equity for all," she said.

"The university has an inclusion action plan and has begun implementing it. I believe UBC will continue its work to provide a world-class education to all of its students in a safe and supportive community environment."