Freedom of speech, not freedom of consequence: that’s the sentiment shared across social media platforms by MAGA supporters and those within the Trump administration. Following the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk on Sept. 10, those behind a keyboard did what they do best—air their thoughts on social media.
Words of shock and mourning began to circulate, but, in the same minutes, Kirk’s own words spread like wildfire as well. “I think it’s worth it to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights,” Kirk said at a 2023 speaking event for his conservative group, Turning Point USA.
“Sorry, Charlie” by Clay Jones
Those words, like others of Kirk’s, were shared across social media by swaths of people who didn’t agree with the far-right influencer. But quickly, critics of Kirk or the way his image was being portrayed postmortem were targeted by the right.
“Call them out, and, hell, call their employer,” Vice President JD Vance said.
Chaya Raichik, the far-right creator of Libs of TikTok, used her platform to dox and target people she thought were smearing Kirk’s memory.
“It’s actually terrifying how many of them are teachers, doctors and military members,” Libs of TikTok tweeted the day after Kirk’s death. “We need a massive purge of these evil psychos who want to kiII all of us for simply having opposing political views.”
President Donald Trump and MAGA minions insisted Clemson University lose its federal funding after Professor Joshua Bregy shared his opinion of Kirk on social media.
Trump is joined on stage with Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk as he finishes speaking in Washington, July 23, 2019.
“Let me preface this post by saying that violence is never okay and as much as I dislike someone and their cruel ideas, I would never want their life to be taken in an act of violence,” Bregy’s post began. “Democracy should be built on ideas, not force. But I AM going to say this: If anyone thinks that a reasonable price for the second amendment is countless innocent lives, and then that person has the cold-heartedness and audacity to say that empathy is likened to a social disease, they will get no protracted sympathy from me.”
Soon after the right-wing uproar, Bregy was fired along with other university employees who spoke out.
As Reuters explained in their detailed investigation of the right’s attack on free speech, it’s not unheard of in history for employers to fire workers who have controversial thoughts splayed across the internet. However, this is the first time it has been done so with the backing of the U.S. government.
And Trump’s attack on free speech has gone as far as calling for the execution of elected Democratic officials who said something he didn’t like about his policies in recent days.
But as for the people who were fired, doxxed, and harassed, some of them are fighting back against what they’re saying was a violation of free speech.
Related | Republicans aren’t even pretending to give a sh-t about free speech now
Larry Bushart, who was jailed for five weeks after posting a Kirk meme to a Facebook group, is one of them.
“I would say this was motivated essentially entirely by the sheriff’s feelings about Charlie Kirk and his distaste for anyone saying something that he found personally offensive after that tragedy,” attorney David Rubin, who works at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, told Daily Kos.
“The Charlie Kirk tragedy opened some fresh wounds and got people talking a lot about politics and violence and free speech. And instead of letting that conversation thrive, Sheriff Weems said, ‘I don’t like this. I don’t like what he’s saying. We’re going to arrest him and throw him in jail,’” Rubin continued.
Bregy has also filed a lawsuit against his university.
And while MAGA and the conservative party used to pride themselves on being champions of free speech, their reality looks a little different now. Instead of chastising cancel culture, the right has rebranded it into their own beast.
