Charlie Kirk’s assassination has fueled a conservative-led online campaign targeting critics’ social media posts, leading to firings, harassment, and heightened political tensions.
The fallout from the assassination of Charlie Kirk, co-founder of Turning Point USA, has escalated into an online campaign targeting people who posted messages about his death, with several already losing their jobs.
Conservative activists, including far-right influencer Laura Loomer, Republican lawmakers, and an anonymous website called Expose Charlie’s Murderers, have spotlighted thousands of posts, some critical of Kirk and others perceived as celebratory. The site, registered anonymously, claims to have received nearly 30,000 submissions and plans to create a searchable database by location and job industry.
“This website will soon be converted into a searchable database … a permanent and continuously-updating archive of Radical activists calling for violence,” its homepage stated.
Among those affected is a Middle Tennessee State University employee fired after writing they had “ZERO sympathy” for Kirk, a move Senator Marsha Blackburn praised as “the right decision.” GOP Rep. Nancy Mace also urged the dismissal of a public school teacher who later lost their job. Private companies, including Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers and the Carolina Panthers, have likewise terminated staff over similar posts. DC Comics canceled writer Gretchen Felker-Martin’s series after she allegedly mocked Kirk’s death.
Critics warn the campaign amounts to coordinated harassment. “It is absolutely fair to call it a coordinated harassment campaign,” said Laura Edelson of Northeastern University. Canadian journalist Rachel Gilmore and Florida data scientist Rebekah Jones reported facing threats after being named on the site.
Analysts say the effort reflects deepening political polarization, with online posts quickly weaponized in a climate of heightened emotion and hostility.