Drexel University reprimanded a professor after he reportedly tweeted apparent support for “white genocide” on Christmas Eve.

“All I Want for Christmas is White Genocide,” associate professor of politics and global studies George Ciccariello-Maher tweeted on Saturday, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. The following day he tweeted, “To clarify: when the whites were massacred during the Haitian revolution, that was a good thing indeed.”

On Sunday, Drexel issued a statement saying: “While the University recognizes the right of its faculty to freely express their thoughts and opinions in public debate, Professor Ciccariello-Maher’s comments are utterly reprehensible, deeply disturbing, and do not in any way reflect the values of the University. The University is taking this situation very seriously. We contacted Ciccariello-Maher today to arrange a meeting to discuss this matter in detail.”

Ciccariello-Maher told the Inquirer that his inflammatory tweet was meant in jest.

“On Christmas Eve, I sent a satirical tweet about an imaginary concept, ‘white genocide,’” he told the newspaper. “For those who haven’t bothered to do their research, ‘white genocide’ is an idea invented by white supremacists and used to denounce everything from interracial relationships to multicultural policies … It is a figment of the racist imagination, it should be mocked, and I’m glad to have mocked it.”

Get The Brief. Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now. Please enter a valid email address. Sign Up Now Check the box if you do not wish to receive promotional offers via email from TIME. You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Thank you! For your security, we've sent a confirmation email to the address you entered. Click the link to confirm your subscription and begin receiving our newsletters. If you don't get the confirmation within 10 minutes, please check your spam folder.

Write to Tessa Berenson at tessa.berenson@time.com.