By Cliff Potts
WPS News / Occupy 2.5

Introduction

Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA, was killed not by his political opponents but by another Trump supporter. That fact alone undermines the narrative that MAGA figures are carefully cultivating in the aftermath: painting Kirk as a martyr felled by the “radical left.” Instead, his death has become a pretext for a wave of harassment campaigns, firings, and digital lynchings against anyone who dared to speak negatively of him. I have spoken out myself, plainly, describing Kirk as “just another asshole.” That truth has now become dangerous. We are watching a disturbing trend where Trump supporters, enraged and mobilized, are collecting the names, posts, and employment details of critics in order to destroy their livelihoods.

The tactic is neither new nor uniquely American. Germany and Italy in the 1930s followed this exact playbook. Before Hitler and Mussolini cemented full authoritarian rule, their followers weaponized employment, reputation, and community pressure to silence dissenters. The chilling parallels between their actions and what Trump supporters are doing now in response to Kirk’s death are undeniable.

The Campaign of Intimidation

Reports confirm that multiple individuals—teachers, firefighters, academics, and journalists—have already been fired or disciplined for posting negative or mocking remarks about Kirk’s death (OPB, 2025; Al Jazeera, 2025). The mechanics are clear:

  • Identification and Doxxing: Trump supporters are combing through social media platforms to find any post critical of Kirk. Screenshots are saved, names are connected to workplaces, and personal information is shared.
  • Employer Pressure: Once a person is identified, their employer is bombarded with calls, emails, and social media pressure, accusing them of “harboring extremists.” Even if the original post was mild criticism or satire, the goal is to make employers fear public relations fallout.
  • Consequences: Under this orchestrated pressure, some employers immediately fire the targeted individuals to protect their image. Others suspend or investigate. Either way, the target suffers—and the chilling effect spreads.

This is not accountability. It is political punishment, directed not by law but by mobs acting in service of an authoritarian movement. The irony is bitter: Kirk’s killer was MAGA, yet critics of Kirk—many of them entirely uninvolved in his death—are the ones suffering consequences.

The Fascist Currents in American Life

This kind of organized harassment should not be mistaken for ordinary political backlash. It is coordinated, malicious, and explicitly aimed at silencing opposition voices. It reflects the hallmarks of fascist mobilization:

  • Cult of the Martyr: Just as Nazis elevated Horst Wessel—a young street fighter killed in 1930—as a sacred symbol, Kirk’s death is being framed as an attack on the movement itself, regardless of the reality that his killer was also MAGA. This myth-making allows fascists to rally supporters and demonize enemies.
  • Attack Without Cause: People who had nothing to do with Kirk’s death are being targeted solely for expressing criticism. This is collective punishment—a tactic meant to terrify whole communities into silence.
  • Weaponizing Employment: By pressuring employers to fire dissenters, MAGA activists are turning capitalism itself into a weapon of control. You don’t need secret police if bosses can be bullied into punishing their workers for political expression.

Germany: Denunciation as Social Control

In Nazi Germany, one of the most effective tools of repression was not the Gestapo kicking in doors but neighbors, coworkers, and even family members denouncing each other. Historian Robert Gellately (2001) shows that the majority of denunciations in Nazi Germany came from ordinary citizens who reported others for “unpatriotic” remarks. The consequences were immediate: loss of jobs, arrests, and sometimes imprisonment in concentration camps.

The Nazis passed the Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service in 1933, purging thousands of Jews, leftists, and perceived opponents from academia, law, and government service. But long before the law, social pressure campaigns had already begun forcing dissenters out. Businesses that employed Jews or Social Democrats were boycotted, vandalized, or attacked until they complied.

Today’s MAGA campaigns echo this system. While we are not yet seeing concentration camps for dissenters, the social mechanics are identical: denunciation, pressure, and punishment, all driven by a movement that seeks total control over public discourse.

Italy: Loyalty Oaths and Blackshirts

Fascist Italy offers another striking parallel. In 1931, Mussolini required all professors to swear an oath of loyalty to the regime. Out of 1,200 professors, only 12 refused—and they were expelled. But before such laws were formalized, Fascist squads, the squadristi, had already made sure dissenting voices were silenced. Leftists and critics were assaulted, and businesses employing them were threatened with boycotts or worse.

Much like today’s harassment campaigns, this was about making examples of individuals to frighten the rest. Italians quickly learned: if you wanted to keep your job, you kept your mouth shut or, better yet, proclaimed loyalty to the regime.

The MAGA tactic of doxxing Kirk’s critics is the modern, digital equivalent of Mussolini’s Blackshirts marching into your town. They do not need to physically break down your door. All they need to do is call your boss.

Why This Matters Now

It would be easy to dismiss this as an online skirmish, a temporary flare-up of outrage. That would be a mistake. The pattern is historically consistent: fascist movements begin with grassroots harassment and economic intimidation before escalating into legal and physical repression.

The danger is not just for those directly targeted. It is for everyone watching. When workers see their colleagues fired for a Facebook post, they learn to self-censor. When journalists see peers disciplined for satire, they learn to mute their criticism. When activists watch others destroyed for speaking plainly, they hesitate before acting. Silence becomes the norm—and fascism thrives on silence.

Charlie Kirk’s death is tragic, but it is not what MAGA wants you to believe it is. He was not killed by Antifa, the left, or some mythical foreign enemy. He was killed by one of their own. Yet the movement is seizing the opportunity to manufacture a martyr and weaponize his death against dissenters.

Conclusion: Resistance Is Required

History teaches us that authoritarianism does not arrive all at once. It builds slowly, through the normalization of harassment, intimidation, and fear. The campaigns against those who spoke negatively about Charlie Kirk are not isolated incidents; they are the testing ground for larger repression.

Germany and Italy in the 1930s show us where this leads: to a society where silence is enforced, dissent is punishable by poverty or prison, and conformity becomes the only safe option. If we do not call it what it is—fascism reborn—we will find ourselves reliving those nightmares.

Resistance is not optional. It is required.

https://endfascism.xyz

References

Al Jazeera. (2025, September 13). US teachers targeted by far-right in doxxing after Charlie Kirk’s death. Retrieved from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/9/13/us-teachers-targeted-by-far-right-in-doxxing-after-charlie-kirks-death

Gellately, R. (2001). Backing Hitler: Consent and coercion in Nazi Germany. Oxford University Press.

OPB. (2025, September 13). Charlie Kirk critics are being targeted online and losing jobs. Retrieved from https://www.opb.org/article/2025/09/13/charlie-kirk-critics-are-being-targeted-online-and-losing-jobs

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