Right-wing activists have launched an online doxxing campaign in the wake of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk’s death — and the Trump administration is joining in.
Chaya Raichik, a far-right activist who targets LGBTQ+ people online under the moniker “Libs of TikTok,” has been among the most active in highlighting insensitive comments since Kirk died.
In one post, Raichik targeted a lecturer at Cal State University Monterey Bay, who, per screenshots posted on X, wrote in an Instagram story, “I cannot muster much sympathy, truly. People are going to argue ‘He has a family, he has a wife and kids.’”
“What about all the kids, the many broken families from the over 258 school shootings 2020- present?” the lecturer wrote.
Raichik, who posted identifying photos of the lecturer, wrote in response that he “appears to mocks Charlie Kirk’s ass*ssination [sic].”
The post was not accessible as of Friday morning. The lecturer did not respond to a request for comment.
In another post, Raichik targeted a man in the United States Coast Guard for posting a meme in a Facebook group with the caption, “I don’t give a shit about Charlie Kirk.”
The Coast Guard has since said that they are investigating the employee targeted by Raichik.
In a late-night post Wednesday, Raichik targeted a former Twitter employee for expressing disappointment in the New York Yankees for holding a moment of silence for Kirk.
“As a long time fan this is incredibly disappointing,” the former Twitter employee wrote.
We need your help to stay independent
Some of those targeted in Raichik’s campaign appear to have already been fired.
An assistant dean at Middle Tennessee State University, for example, was terminated by the university for what the school characterized as “callous” comments about the deceased right-wing activist.
The comments in question read, “Looks like ol’Charlie spoke his fate into existence. Hate begets hate. ZERO sympathy.”
The comments were an apparent reference to comments Kirk made in 2023 when he said, “I think it’s worth to have a cost of unfortunately some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights. That is a prudent deal. It is rational.”
One account was targeted just for quoting Kirk’s 2023 statement on gun violence.
Kirk himself had a history of making light of political violence. In October 2022, Kirk said whoever bailed out David DePape, the man who attacked Paul Pelosi with a hammer, would be a “hero.”
“If some amazing patriot out there in San Francisco or the Bay Area wants to really be a midterm hero, someone should go and bail this guy out,” Kirk said. As of DePape’s sentencing last year, Pelosi was still physically suffering from the attack.
Start your day with essential news from Salon.
Sign up for our free morning newsletter, Crash Course.
Raichik isn’t alone in the right-wing campaign to attack anyone who expresses unsympathetic sentiment about Kirk’s death online. Other accounts have targeted members of the military, government employees and nurses.
The campaign has been embraced by some in the upper echelons of power. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said in a X post on Thursday that he would seek to revoke visas of foreigners in the U.S. who posted what he perceived as insensitive remarks following Kirk’s death.
“I want to underscore that foreigners who glorify violence and hatred are not welcome visitors to our country,” he wrote.“I have been disgusted to see some on social media praising, rationalizing, or making light of the event, and have directed our consular officials to undertake appropriate action,” Landau said. “Please feel free to bring such comments by foreigners to my attention so that the @StateDept can protect the American people.”
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has also said that he will be “tracking” any military personnel who are not responding to Kirk’s death in line with the administration’s preferences.
“We are tracking all these very closely — and will address, immediately. Completely unacceptable,” Hegseth said in a post online.
Riachik herself has been tied to political violence in the past. She attended the January 6 attack on the Capitol and live-tweeted the event before later claiming that the mob’s attack was peaceful. Raichik’s tweets have also sometimes preceded bomb threats against her targets, like in 2022 when Raichik targeted Akron Children’s Hospital online over their gender-affirming care center. The hospital later reported threats stemming from increased attention, and it’s not the only hospital where this has happened.
Raichik herself complained that she had been the victim of doxxing after the Washington Post revealed her identity in 2022. She had been operating her account anonymously up to that point.
