A “climate of fear” is still shrouding college campuses across the US, academics have warned, after a string of professors were fired or punished for their comments after Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
As many as 40 academics have been dismissed in recent weeks, according to the American Association of University Professors. Many were targeted by rightwing campaigners, who seized on remarks they wrote or shared, and pressured their employers to take action.
The late-night comedy host Jimmy Kimmel became the most high-profile suspension for comments related to Kirk. Kimmel is now back on air. But firings, suspensions and disciplinary actions have continued and – have incited concern about the state of freedom of speech in the US.
Dr Karen Leader, an associate professor of art history and faculty associate in the Center for Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Florida Atlantic University, shared posts quoting and paraphrasing Kirk’s rhetoric, such as Kirk stating that Taylor Swift should “submit” to her fiance, his claim in 2023 that “happening all the time in urban America, prowling Blacks go around for fun to go target white people, that’s a fact”, and comments about the second amendment being worth the gun deaths. “This is Charlie Kirk,” she wrote herself.
“Academics are particularly sensitive about Charlie Kirk because we were one of his first targets with the professor watch list,” Leader said. The list, launched by Kirk in 2016, includes hundreds of professors around the US which it accuses of left-leaning bias. Many of those listed subsequently faced threats and harassment.
A group of rightwing users on social media have jumped on posts critical of Kirk, tagging the employers of academics who wrote and shared them. Prominent influencers behind such campaigns include Jordan Chamberlain, a former Ron DeSantis staffer, and the LibsofTikTok account, which has a record of pushing misinformation and targeting individuals and businesses, resulting in bomb threats and harassment.
Chamberlain and LibsofTikTok posted screenshots of Leader’s posts, tagging her employer, Florida Atlantic University. Shortly afterwards, the university released a statement announcing that she was placed on academic leave and citing “repeated comments ... regarding the assassination of Charlie Kirk”.
“It was signed by the president of our university, and mischaracterized what I had done,” Leader said. “I had not commented on the assassination of Charlie Kirk. I hadn’t commented on his death. I hadn’t commented on the means of his death. I hadn’t in any way condoned it or celebrated it.”
It comes amid a wave of disciplinary measures at universities and other workplaces. The Florida commissioner of education warned teachers they could be fired over “despicable comments” about Kirk.
“Why is academia bending over and folding on our basic principles in such a blatant way?” Leader continued. “It’s a violation of the first amendment in such a blatant way that nobody should have obeyed it. But instead, there is this climate of fear.”
A spokesperson for Florida Atlantic University said: “Florida Atlantic University does not comment on personnel matters.”
A staffer at Ball State University, Suzanne Swierc, called Kirk’s death a “tragedy” and said that “while it’s difficult, I can and do pray for his soul” in a post on a private social media account, adding: “Charlie Kirk’s death is a reflection of the violence, fear and hatred he sowed. It does not excuse his death, AND it’s a sad truth.”
The post was later publicized, however, and Swierc was fired. “September 12, the day that my private post was made public without my consent, was one of the worst days of my life,” she said during a press conference on 22 September. “I was terrified most of that day with some of the messages, phone calls and voicemails I was receiving to my personal number, to my work accounts.”
Swierc has filed a lawsuit with American Civil Liberties Union challenging her termination. Ball State University declined to comment on the lawsuit.
These cases are part of a troubling wider trend, according to union officials and lawyers representing academics nationwide.
“I think our numbers are around 40 faculty have been fired since the Kirk assassination, and that number is rapidly rising, although some folks who are fired, we’re seeing getting reinstated,” Todd Wolfson, president of the American Association of University Professors, said.
Some were dismissed after aggressive criticism of Kirk, or even expressing satisfaction after his death. Others had been more restrained, but still faced reprisal.
“I don’t know what all those 40 faculty said, and I probably don’t agree with much of what was said, or some of what was said,” said Wolfson. “I don’t know. But what we do know is that faculty have a right to due process, 100%, and this is a complete breach of their due process because of political pressure coming down from shock troops, from the Trump administration to state leaders, who are then attacking our members and faculty ruthlessly.”
Phillip Michael Hook, a tenured art professor at the University of South Dakota, is on leave over a post he made about Kirk. He, too, has filed a lawsuit, in which a court has granted a temporary preliminary injunction.
On a private social media account, Hook disparaged Kirk, stating that “apparently he was a hate spreading Nazi” and adding “where was all this concern when the politicians in Minnesota were shot?”
While he deleted the post three hours later, a screenshot was spread by LibsofTikTok, which called for his firing, along with South Dakota Republican officials.
“The essence of this case is the government cannot punish people for speech and the government cannot punish people for speaking out on the issues of the day,” Jim Leach, Cook’s attorney, said. “The state of South Dakota sought to punish a university professor for speaking out after the shooting of Charlie Kirk and almost immediately the governor and the speaker of the house of South Dakota said this is unacceptable and he should be fired, and the University of South Dakota unfortunately complied.”
The University of South Dakota did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
“We think our members and faculty in higher ed deserve due process,” said Wolfson. “We think this is like one of many attempts to undermine academic freedom and freedom of speech on our campuses.”
