Dozens of Americans Lose Their Jobs After Criticizing "Charlie Kirk" Following His Assassination

SadaNews - Dozens of Americans have lost their jobs due to comments on social media that criticized activist Charlie Kirk, who is viewed by the far-right as having died "a martyr," and believes that any criticism of him should be met with severe punishment.

This is the case of Laura Such-Lightsey, an employee at a public university in Tennessee, who posted on Facebook Wednesday after Kirk's assassination, an ally of President Donald Trump: "Hatred breeds hatred. No sympathy at all."

Her post was met with outrage from Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn, who deemed that "this woman should be ashamed of herself... she should be fired from her position." And that is what happened, as the university announced her termination.

In a country facing sharp polarization often linked to political violence, many of Kirk's supporters - who died at the age of 31 - are tracking his critics online, especially since his pro-gun, anti-abortion, and anti-immigration statements earned him both support and disdain at the same time.

And although the assassination of the conservative influencer was condemned by political figures from various orientations, Trump quickly blamed "radical leftists," just before the arrest of the suspect in the shooting incident on a university campus in Utah.

Later, it was reported that Tyler Robinson, who was arrested on Thursday, had inscribed anti-fascist phrases on the ammunition, prompting a significant portion of the American right to label him a "leftist extremist" killer.

Meanwhile, some of Kirk's supporters turned into investigators, searching online for accounts that praised or celebrated his killing.

Conservative influencer Joy Manarino said: "If their picture is on their profile, even without a name, the picture is downloaded, and a reverse search is conducted to identify them."

These efforts have targeted teachers, firefighters, military personnel, and others who lost their jobs.

A teacher in Oklahoma was also targeted after posting on social media: "Charlie Kirk died the way he lived: bringing out the worst in people."

Subsequently, the teacher was investigated by the state's Department of Education, which described his comments as "disgusting."

Memorial Service

In an indication of the political nature of the assassination, Trump described Kirk as a "giant of his generation," and his coffin was flown to his city Phoenix on the official plane of Vice President J.D. Vance, while senior American officials work to pursue Kirk's critics.

Trump ordered the flags to be lowered in honor of his ally who helped attract millions of young people to his side during his last campaign.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth instructed Pentagon officials to identify military personnel who mocked or celebrated Kirk's death.

Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau posted on "X": "Foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors in our country."

He added: "I was disgusted to see some people on social media praising the event or justifying it or belittling it, and I directed our consular officials to take appropriate action."

He continued: "Do not hesitate to bring to my attention such comments made by foreigners so that the State Department can protect the American people."

Laura Loomer, the far-right activist with conspiracy theory ties and a close ally of Trump, was among the most notable attackers of Kirk's critics.

She attacked an employee at the Federal Emergency Management Agency who expressed her displeasure on Instagram about the flag-lowering in honor of "a literal racist, anti-gay, and misogynistic person."

Loomer shared the employee's LinkedIn profile, stating: "These people hate us. They have no place near the bearers of our national strength."

Following Loomer's post, the FEMA announced it had placed the employee on forced leave due to "disgusting and unfair" comments.

On Saturday, "Turning Point USA," founded by Kirk in 2012, announced it would hold a memorial service for him on September 21 in a suburb of Phoenix. The venue, a soccer stadium with a capacity of over 63,000 spectators, indicates the expected turnout.