In a tight labor market, social media posts justifying political violence are ill-advised for employees

Published October 10, 2025 5:35am ET



After conservative activist Charlie Kirk was shot on Utah Valley University‘s campus on Sept. 10, some progressive-leaning students and employees of universities across the country openly celebrated the attack and Kirk’s death. They pitched this online and social media hate, apparently unaware that it could have negative repercussions for them or their institutions.

To date, there have been “at least 20 university employees who have been fired or suspended for online posts about Charlie Kirk,” Jennifer Kabbany, editor-in-chief of the College Fix, told the Washington Examiner. The ranks of the fired include “a mix of administrators, staffers, professors, and adjuncts,” she said.

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