Efforts to have people fired from their jobs for criticizing slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk are raising questions about free speech and local government policies.
Efforts to have people fired from their jobs for criticism of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk are taking hold in the Triangle — and raising questions about whether some firings could be constitutional violations.
One such push is calling for the firing of a Wake County Public School System teacher, who is alleged by parents to have posted about Kirk’s prior comments dealing with race, saying that Kirk could “Rot in Hell.” The post appeared to have been made on his private Facebook page, according to images of the post supplied to WRAL News, which are no longer accessible online.
WRAL News hasn’t independently verified the authenticity of the post. Idris Abdul-Aziz, the teacher tied to the account, remains an active employee in the school system. He didn’t immediately respond to messages seeking comment.
Charlie Kirk was the cofounder of the nonprofit Turning Point USA, which focused on recruiting young Republicans. He was killed last week when he was shot in the neck at Utah Valley University, according to police. Kirk was in the middle of one of his signature events, which invited students to debate him for exchanges that would ultimately be posted online.
The Wake school system declined to comment, citing state law on personnel confidentiality.
Terminating a public employee for speech on such a major issue would likely violate the First Amendment, legal analysts and speech advocates told WRAL News.
“Generally speaking, a public school teacher in their own time, posting on their social media that’s their own personal account about things that aren’t related to school, is going to be protected by the First Amendment,” said Adam Goldstein, senior vice president of strategic initiatives at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, a free speech advocacy organization.
While private employers have broad discretion in hiring and firing, public agencies have more limits. That’s because the government can’t restrict speech in most cases, attorneys said.
The government can restrict its own speech and the speech of employees who are actively working or representing the government, said Ivy Johnson, a staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina.
