Republicans celebrate Kirk as free speech champion, demand critics be fired

In the wake of the senseless murder of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, his political admirers are venerating him as a principled champion of free speech. Ironically, some of the same people are participating in an organized campaign demanding that anyone with a different view of Kirk's political legacy be fired. This effort has been extremely successful. Dozens of people have been fired for expressing opinions about Kirk that others deem unacceptable.

On September 10, Congressman Derrick Van Orden (R-WI) wrote on X that Kirk "was murdered for advocating for free speech, American values, and freedom." Since then, most of Van Orden's feed has been advocating for the firing or sanctioning of people who do not share Van Orden's views on Kirk. For example, Van Orden cheered the firing of a longtime Apple Store employee who posted on Instagram: “Imagine having died such a horrible person that someone sharing your life’s work is considered 'insensitive.'"

The reality is that Kirk built his national profile by expressing extreme views. Kirk called the Civil Rights Act a "huge mistake," claimed that Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was "a diversity hire," and advised Taylor Swift to "reject feminism" and "submit to your husband."

On Monday, Vice President JD Vance, who previously praised Kirk for his "willingness to speak openly and debate ideas," encouraged Americans to "call the employer" of anyone expressing negative opinions about Kirk's legacy.

Mobs of people, at the direction of elected officials like Vance and a constellation of right-wing influencers, are calling the employers of people who say the wrong thing about Kirk online. Some who have been fired for their commentary on Kirk expressed sentiments that many would find distasteful or offensive. But others have been fired for merely quoting Kirk or disagreeing with Kirk's political stances.

Karen Attiah was an award-winning columnist and editor at the Washington Post Opinion section for eleven years. Last week, she was fired for her comments on Bluesky following the murder of Charlie Kirk. Only one of her posts mentioned Kirk explicitly, and it was a direct quote:

Attiah also wrote several posts about the hollowness of condemning violence while opposing gun control. "America, especially white America is not going to do what it needs to get rid of the guns in their country," Attiah wrote. "It will be thoughts and prayers, 'violence has no place' out of a performance of goodness, not out of the resolve to convince their communities to disarm."

The Washington Post claimed these posts constituted "gross misconduct," put the safety of her colleagues at risk, and justified her termination.

A.G. Gancarski, a reporter with Florida Politics, texted Congressman Randy Fine (R-FL) a question after Kirk was murdered. Gancarski asked Fine, "If Charlie Kirk getting shot affects your position on campus carry?" (Kirk was killed during an event at Utah Valley University.) Fine said he was "repulsed" that Gancarski would ask and posted both the question and his response online. Within an hour, the editor of Florida Politics suspended Gancarski, saying the reporter lacked "basic empathy."

Darren Michael, a professor at Austin Peay State University, was fired for posting a screenshot of a 2023 Newsweek article with the headline, "Charlie Kirk Says Gun Deaths 'Unfortunately' Worth it to Keep 2nd Amendment." The university said the post "was insensitive, disrespectful and interpreted by many as propagating justification for unlawful death." According to Michael's termination letter, he was let go "due to recent social media posts that have caused significant reputational damage to the university."

In Florida, social studies teacher Matthew Theobald was removed from the classroom for a post on his personal social media account that described Kirk as "not a good guy" and "a racist, misogynistic, fear-mongering neo-Nazi." In a September 11 letter to all Florida schools, Commissioner of Education Anastasios Kamoutsas said the state would investigate every teacher who makes "vile" comments about Kirk.

Gerald Bourguet, a Phoenix Suns basketball reporter for PHNX Sports, was fired after posting that "refusing to mourn a life devoted to [spewing hateful rhetoric] is not the same thing as celebrating gun violence." Bourguet also posted that Kirk "didn't give a DAMN about doing anything to stop gun violence when the mass shootings were LITERAL children." PHNX Sports said that Bourguet's comments "do not represent the views of PHNX or ALLCITY Network" and the company "addressed this matter with the individual and made the decision to part ways."

PEN America, an organization that advocates for free speech, released a statement condemning "pattern of knee-jerk dismissals," particularly on college campuses. The organization raised concerns "about institutions responding to political pressure and social media outrage instead of applying consistent standards that respect free speech and due process." PEN America warned that the "firings reverberate beyond the campus walls, creating a culture of fear across society at large."