Kyle Kashuv: Pro-gun Parkland shooting survivor loses Harvard admission over racism scandal

Teen activist says he was trying to be ‘as extreme and shocking as possible’ in messages sparking online backlash

Teen activist Kyle Kashuv says he was trying to be "as extreme and shocking as possible" when writing the controversial messages that have sparked online backlash. (Getty Images)

Harvard has withdrawn an offer of admission for pro-gun activist Kyle Kashuv, a survivor of the Parkland mass shooting, after racist messages he wrote in high school re-emerged.

The teenager announced his offer from the university had been rescinded on Monday after the old messages he reportedly sent to his peers were shared online earlier in the month, sparking backlash over the derogatory terms he used to describe black athletes and classmates.

“A few weeks ago, I was made aware of egregious and callous comments classmates and I made privately years ago - when I was 16 years old, months before the shooting - in an attempt to be as extreme and shocking as possible,” he wrote in a series of tweets.

The school sent him a letter acknowledging recent media coverage of his messages and reminding him it maintained the right to withdraw offers of admission “if an admitted student engages or has engaged in behaviour that brings into question their honesty, maturity or moral character.”

Harvard University declined to provide a statement on its decision to revoke Mr Kashuv’s offer, telling The Independent in a statement, “We do not comment publicly on the admissions status of individual applicants.”

Mr Kashuv did not respond to a request for comment, but wrote on Twitter that he was “exploring all options at the moment.”

“So what now? I’m figuring it out,” he wrote. “I had given up huge scholarships in order to go to Harvard, and the deadline for accepting other college offers has ended.”

The reversal followed a similar decision Harvard made in 2017 when it withdrew offers of admission to at least 10 prospective students shortly after learning about racist images they shared in a secretive Facebook group.

Mr Kashuv has become a prominent voice for guns rights after splintering off from other notable survivors of the Parkland shooting, who became vocal supporters of tightening gun control across the country. He met with Donald Trump in the White House and joined the conservative group Turning Point USA.

Just before the racist messages were made public, however, he announced he was stepping down from his role with the pro-Trump group.

He has since apologised for the remarks, writing in a tweet, “When your classmates, your teachers, and your neighbours are killed it transforms you as a human being.”

“I see the world through different eyes and am embarrassed by the petty, flippant kid represented in those screenshots,” he added. “I believe those I’ve gotten to know since know that I’m a better person than that.”