A university professor, who is organizing a protest at next week's G20 summit, was suspended from his job after warning bankers "could be hanging from lampposts."

University of East London professor of anthropology Chris Knight said during an interview with the BBC that demonstrators would be "hanging a lot of people" during the summit.

Knight said Wednesday that protesters would be "hanging a lot of people like Fred the Shred (disgraced former RBS chief Fred Goodwin) from lampposts on April Fool's Day, and I can only say let's hope they are just effigies."

"To be honest, if he (Goodwin) winds us up any more I'm afraid there will be real bankers hanging from lampposts and let's hope that that doesn't actually have to happen," Knight told BBC.

Goodwin who stepped down from RBS amid the government partial takeover is considered a decisive figure similar to the corporate demonization of AIG.

As a result of his comments, "Professor Chris Knight has been suspended from his duties at the University of East London, pending investigation," a university spokesperson said. "In order not to prejudice this process we cannot make any further comment."

Knight went on to say, "I am trying to keep it humorous and let the anger come up in a creative and hopefully productive and peaceful way."

"If the other people don't join in the fun -- I'm talking about the bankers and those rather pompous ministers -- and come over and surrender their power obviously it's going to get us even more wound up and things could get nasty. Let's hope it doesn't," Knight added.