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The New McCarthyism: Kirk Disciples Warn Critics to Mourn Him Properly or Else [1]

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Date: 2025-09-13

An American Tradition of Silencing Dissent

In the wake of the horrific murder of Charlie Kirk, right wing influencers and politicians are warning people that they need to mourn him correctly — whatever that means!— or face dire consequences. Some are suggesting Kirk critics should be banned for life from social media, deported, or driven into bankruptcy, while foreign critics should be denied entry into the country, According to Reuters on Saturday September 13, At least 15 people have been fired or suspended from their jobs for allegedly disrespecting Kirk's memory.

Government officials controlling dissent in this country has a long history, from the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798, to President Abraham Lincoln suspending habeas corpus, jailing Confederate sympathizers without trial, and using censorship to curb the opposition press. Early organizers of labor unions were met with federal troops, mass arrests and company sponsored violence. During World War I, Socialist leader Eugene V. Debs was imprisoned for an antiwar speech, and many others arrested. The Palmer Raids, conduced between November 1919 and January 1920 saw mass arrests, deportations, and crackdowns on anarchists, socialists, labor organizers, and immigrants. Innocent Japanese-Americans were imprisoned in internment camps during World War II.

Then came the McCarthy Era, when Wisconsin Republican Senator Joseph McCarthy ran roughshod over hearings against suspected communists in government, Hollywood, universities, and unions. Thousands were cowed into silence as many people lost their jobs and some committed suicide.

Even in the 21st century, officials have found ways to chill speech. Shortly after the September 11 terrorist attacks, White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer's warned Americans that they "need to watch what they say watch what they do…” It was clearly an attempt to blunt criticism and intimidate critics of the onset of the Bush administration’s “War on Terrorism.”

In a Reuters story posted Saturday September 13, headlined “Charlie Kirk's allies warn Americans: Mourn him properly or else,” Raphael Satter and A.J. Vicens reported that “A smattering of commentators – including ordinary people joking about and sometimes celebrating Kirk's death to lawmakers and pundits dwelling on his history of bigoted rhetoric – has also surfaced, only to be targeted in organized campaigns.” (https://www.reuters.com/world/us/charlie-kirks-allies-warn-americans-mourn-him-properly-or-else-2025-09-13/).

Reuters pointed out that “Others have been subjected to torrents of online abuse or seen their offices flooded with calls demanding they be fired, part of a surge in right-wing rage that has followed the killing.”

“Charlie Kirk’s death will not be in vain. I will be spending my night making everyone I find online who celebrates his death Famous, so prepare to have your whole future professional aspirations ruined if you are sick enough to celebrate his death. I’m going to make you wish you never opened your mouth. These people need to be condemned in society and there must NEVER be a place for these people to gather without facing the shame of their behavior,” Trump ally and conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer posted on X (formerly Twitter) (https://x.com/LauraLoomer/status/1965915114072101118).

U.S. lawmaker Clay Higgins said in a post on X, opens new tab that anyone who "ran their mouth with their smartass hatred celebrating the heinous murder of that beautiful young man" needed to be "banned from ALL PLATFORMS FOREVER."

(https://x.com/RepClayHiggins/status/1966114479042593251).

Reuters reported that a newly registered site called "Expose Charlie's Murderers," is posting names of people it alleged were “supporting political violence online.” The site “claims to be working on a backlog of more than 20,000 submissions.”

A Reuters review of the screenshots and comments posted to the site shows that some of those featured joked about or celebrated Kirk's death. One was quoted as saying, "He got what he deserved" and others were quoted providing variations on "karma's a bitch." Others, however, were critical of the far-right figure while explicitly denouncing violence.

Still others appear to have done little more than point out that a longtime gun control foe had been shot to death. At least three accurately quoted Kirk's 2023 comments in which he told a crowd that some gun deaths were "worth it,” saying that the annual drumbeat of firearms-related killings in the United States was "a prudent deal" in exchange for the Constitution's Second Amendment.

One person who was featured on the site said their employer had been bombarded by phone calls, with callers threatening not to let up until they were fired or disciplined. The person said they plan to avoid the office in the coming days.

Republicans' anger at those disrespecting Kirk's legacy contrasts with the mockery some of the same figures – including Kirk – directed at past victims of political violence, including the attack of Paul Pelosi, the husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Does the warning from Kirk supporters -- to mourn Kirk correctly -- mean that Americans should mourn him the same way that Republicans mourned the murder of Minnesota state representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, who were killed in June by an unhinged Christian nationalist?

From the Alien and Sedition Acts to Ari Fleischer’s warnings, America has often punished those who speak out in moments of crisis. The campaign to blacklist people for how they mourn Charlie Kirk is only the latest ugly chapter in that long history.

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