A Republican legislator in South Carolina has called for one of the state’s biggest colleges to be defunded if it does not crack down on faculty members who allegedly celebrated Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
In a letter published on Facebook on Monday, state House of Representatives member Jordan Pace asked House and Senate leaders to call a special session in order to punish Clemson University for allegedly “failing to act”.
“Such behavior is intolerable at any public institution funded by South Carolina taxpayers,” Pace wrote. “We, as a body, should be clear on what accountability looks like: immediate termination of those faculty members.
“If Clemson persists in this failure we must act. If Clemson refuses to hold these faculty members accountable then the taxpayers deserve a refund.”
He said the special session should pass legislation allowing the Clemson to be defunded if necessary, end academic tenure at all state universities, and pass a bill that would “end state funding for DEI”.
South Carolina’s lieutenant governor and attorney general also weighed in, as did U.S. House member and gubernatorial candidate Nancy Mace.
In a statement on X, Clemson University said it had fired one employee due to their posts on social media and removed two faculty members from teaching duties while it investigates whether to fire them too.
“A full review is underway of the employee social media activity that has been brought to our attention in relation to the recent incident. Each case is being evaluated individually and thoroughly to ensure appropriate action is taken,” the college said in an earlier statement.
The college did not name any of the workers, and did not say what posts they were being disciplined for.
Meanwhile, the ACLU of South Carolina urged local colleges to protect employees’ First Amendment rights against “politicized and sometimes manufactured outrage”.
Pace’s letter came as conservative politicians and activists across the country sought to punish people and institutions perceived to have disrespected Kirk’s memory following his shocking assassination at a public event in Utah last week.
Numerous people have been fired for celebrating the self-styled free speech champion’s death, while the State Department has suggested it may revoke the visas of immigrants who “praise, rationalize, or make light of” the killing.
South Carolina’s attorney general, Alan Wilson, also wrote to Clemson University to clarify what legal right it has to fire employees for their online posts.
“As South Carolina’s chief prosecuting officer, I have determined that any corrective action by Clemson terminating these professors will not be prosecuted in the criminal courts of this State,” he wrote.
“Fear of criminal prosecution should not deter the president of a state university, such as Clemson, from taking the appropriate corrective action against university employees for such vile and incendiary comments on a public platform.”
Pamela Evette, the state’s lieutenant governor, has urged Clemson students to drop any class taught by professors who posted positively about Kirk’s death, according to The Greenville News.
Nancy Mace has likewise reportedly asked her followers on social media to send her evidence of any posts made by teachers, business owners, or hospital staff who had disrespected the MAGA firebrand.
In a statement on Friday, the state’s ACLU chapter said there was an “organized political effort” to “mine social media for statements about the murder” and get the posters fired.
“The American Civil Liberties Union of South Carolina strongly condemns political violence, including the killing of Kirk… [which] endangers the free and democratic exchange of ideas.
“To protect that same free exchange, we also condemn the targeted harassment of teachers, professors, and other public servants for political statements that they publish in their personal capacity.
“Our state cannot and should not respond to violence by infringing on the free speech rights guaranteed by the First Amendment.”
