Richard Buick later apologised for his gesture, made as he asked to represent himself in court.
Staff were told about the plans on Tuesday morning after university bosses ignored pleas from SNP education chief Màiri McAllan to pause redundancies.
Staff at the gardens have been informed their jobs are at risk as Dundee University bosses try to find £20 million in savings.
The professor told The Courier the institution answers to the Scottish Funding Council and not the government.
Air pollution levels have fallen since Dundee's LEZ was introduced in May 2024, but does this mean it should be extended to outside the city centre? Have your say in the comments section and our journalist will respond between 10-11am on Thursday.
A further block of Caledonian House could be transformed into more than 125 student studios.
Professor Nigel Seaton was unable to rule out compulsory redundancies as part of this tranche of job losses.
A round-up of court cases from Tayside and Fife.
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