A respected law professor who faced false Islamophobia accusations has revealed he carried a screwdriver for protection and wore disguises when leaving his Bristol home due to safety concerns.
Steven Greer, 68, who taught at the University of Bristol for 36 years, said he "did not venture out to the corner shop in the leafy Bristol suburb where he lives without wearing a disguise" during a social media storm that engulfed him.
The human rights expert grew a Taliban-style beard, wore empty spectacle frames and a hoodie, and carried an umbrella alongside the screwdriver.
He said: "I was mostly thinking, 'This is ridiculous'. But it's better to be ridiculous than dead."
Steven Greer taught at the University of Bristol for 36 years
GB NEWS
The controversy began in 2020 when Bristol University's Islamic Society (Brisoc) filed a complaint alleging Greer had made Islamophobic comments during his module on Islam, China and the Far East.
The student who formally submitted the complaint had not attended the module, which Greer taught for many years as part of his human rights course.
Greer was accused by the Islamic Society of making discriminatory remarks and insulting the Koran.
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The lecturer faced a five-month inquiry where the claims against him were proved to be falseGETTYHe was accused of Islamophobia for referencing the 2015 Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris during a discussion on the traditional Islamic death penalty for blasphemy.
In February 2021, Brisoc launched a social media campaign accusing Greer of bigotry and demanding an apology.
A petition calling for his dismissal gathered 4,000 signatures.
Greer believed this breached the confidentiality of the complaints process.
Greer was exonerated in summer 2021 by an assessor from another university department
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Greer was exonerated in summer 2021 by an assessor from another university department.
However, the university's statement explaining the outcome in his favour also said "we recognise Brisoc's concerns".
Greer said: "The university threw me under the bus in order that the bus didn't run over it. They wanted any adverse consequences to fall on me rather than them."
The module that prompted the complaint was also removed from the syllabus.
Greer, who had suffered a stroke previously, was signed off with stress.
This week, free speech campaigners and academic groups asked the Office for Students to examine alleged failures at Bristol University.
They compare the case to Sussex University, which was fined £585,000 for failing to uphold freedom of speech regarding Professor Kathleen Stock.
Greer described the ordeal as taking "a terrific toll on my mental health and sense of wellbeing."
GB News approached the University of Bristol for comment.
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