Georgetown released a statement regarding the recent national press surrounding an advertisement for a Charlie Kirk look-alike event on the anniversary of his assassination this Thursday that was shared on the student social media platform, Fizz.
“We take these anonymous posts seriously and condemn their language as deeply inconsistent with our values,” the university wrote. “As a Jesuit, Catholic University we seek to create a living and learning community that promotes thoughtful, respectful dialogue.”
The statement went on to affirm the boundary between free and hate speech.
“While Georgetown’s policies give latitude for the free expression of ideas and opinions, making light of a victim of violence is counter to our values and deeply disappointing.”
The original post was published on Aug. 24 and has so far received 2,200 upvotes on Fizz. It lists no time, simply inviting students to Copley Lawn on Sept. 10 for a “lookalike contest.” In a separate post, the original user has since responded to that message saying there was “zero malicious intent,” and no plans for the event to actually happen.
Another student posted six days ago asking for a specific time for the contest, attaining 2,000 upvotes.
While Georgetown affirmed students’ right to free speech, the university condemned the student’s use of a joking tone in regards to Kirk’s death. They said they would continue to investigate whether the event was genuinely planned, but claim that there has been no confirmation that there is a genuine intent to host it.
On Sept. 7, Fox News reported on the incident, interviewing members of Georgetown’s recently founded Turning Point USA chapter. The article cites numerous other Fizz posts related to the original event as well as a comment provided to Fox from the president of the chapter, Heidi Sui (SFS ’29), speaking on the “mocking and disrespect” on Fizz that has ensued from the post.
“The TPUSA Chapter at Georgetown strongly condemns any events that aim to disrespect Charlie Kirk and the upcoming memorial ceremony at UVU,” Sui wrote to Fox.
Fox also reported on Georgetown’s students’ responses to Kirk’s death last September with inflammatory flyers. They continued to publish on each instance related to the flyers for the following four days through stories and live interviews with students after new flyers emerged. A university spokesperson told Fox Georgetown does not condone violence.
