An academic claims she was wrongfully sacked by a university after her trust called a mixed race conservative commentator a ‘house n****’.

Leeds Beckett University cut ties with advisor Aysha Khanom in February and said the language was ‘racist’.

But the academic claims it is an ‘anti-racist’ term because it challenges ‘white supremacy’.

She became embroiled in the row after right-winger Calvin Robinson said on the BBC’s The Big Question: ‘I have been called Bounty, Uncle Tom, house n**** for not having the right opinion.’ 

Ms Khanom’s educational group The Race Trust then asked Mr Robinson on Twitter: ‘Don’t you feel ashamed that most people see you as a house n****?’ 

The term describes a person of colour who shirks their own cultural identity just to fit into a white-dominated society.

The trust called another user a ‘coconut’, a similar meaning phrase for someone who is black but who aligns themselves with white culture.

Ms Khanom said the terms were ‘meant to be offensive, because they’re anti-racist’.

The next day, on February 15, the university tweeted that it had ‘terminated all association’ with Ms Khanom ‘with immediate effect’.

Her supporters criticised Leeds Beckett’s response, with Birmingham City University professor black studies Kehinde Andrews saying the university ‘bowed to the pressure of the right wing Twitter mob’.

Ms Khanom said her treatment risks having a silencing effect on people from speaking out on a wide range of contentious issues, and that fundamentally the case was a matter of freedom of speech.

‘No academic should find their contract terminated so publicly in the absence of a fair and thorough investigation,’ she added.

Ms Khanom is aiming to raise £5,000 to have her case heard at an employment tribunal. So far, £1,475 has been donated via an online fundraiser.  

She told the Guardian: ‘You’re highlighting a ­problem. It’s almost upholding white supremacy.

‘It’s so contradictory it’s unreal – racists have taken these terms and defined them for us. There is no way they are racist.

‘They are meant to make someone feel uncomfortable, but just because something’s offensive doesn’t mean you can’t say it.’

The university said in February: ‘Aysha Khanom is not an employee of Leeds Beckett University and we have terminated all association with immediate effect.

‘The university strongly condemns the use of racist language. We stand united against racism and in our support for anyone who experiences racism.’

A spokesperson told Metro UK today: ‘We are unable to comment on ongoing legal proceedings although we can confirm that we will be presenting a detailed response against this claim.

‘Leeds Beckett University actively opposes all racism and discrimination and stands united in its support for anyone who experiences either, which is clearly demonstrated by our Equality and Inclusion policy. We are committed to providing an ethical and sustainable working and learning environment that values equality and inclusion.’

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