CANTON − City Councilman Darren Mayle is facing backlash online for reposting criticism of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and his wife and adding the caption “Bye, bye!”
He made the posts on his personal Facebook page. The posts have since been deleted.
The reposts came from the account “The Other 98%,” a group with 7.6 million Facebook followers. One of them said Kirk promoted white supremacy, division and right-wing politics, while the other criticized Erika Kirk for her comments following his death. Mayle added “Bye, bye!” after the Erika Kirk repost.
Kirk, the co-founder of Turning Point USA, was assassinated Sept. 10 during an appearance at Utah Valley University. Utah prosecutors have charged Tyler Robinson, 22, with aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm, obstruction of justice and witness tampering. His precise motive remains unclear.
Mayle, who represents Ward 1, defended himself when asked about the social media posts.
“What has been said is inaccurate. I did not in any way celebrate anyone’s death. These were reposts,” he said. “Being in politics myself, there is no way that I would advocate for a public figure’s death. We are all very concerned about political violence.”
Comments online have expressed shock and distaste for the councilman’s posts. Commenters described the posts as “disturbing,” “disgusting” and “disgraceful.” Some have called for his removal from City Council, while others have encouraged people to reach out to his employer to complain.
Mayle works as an operations coordinator at Plain Local Schools. Superintendent Brent May said the district is aware of the posts and handling the matter internally.
Mayle was appointed to the Ward 1 council seat in February following the death of former Ward 1 Councilman Greg Hawke. He’s up for reelection in November. Republican Daniel Dale Gates is running against him.
Online reactions to Charlie Kirk’s killing test First Amendment limits
Judgment has come quickly for some social media commenters across the country over posts about Kirk in the days after his assassination.
Republican leaders and conservative commentators have warned Americans to mourn Kirk respectfully or suffer consequences, and some people have been fired or suspended after discussing the killing online.
A Munroe Falls councilman resigned after facing backlash over his post criticizing Kirk. The councilman said he and his family went into hiding at the advice of federal officials after getting more than 500 threats over his Facebook post.
Meanwhile, a Phoenix sportswriter; a University of Mississippi faculty member; school employees in Idaho, Indiana and South Carolina; emergency workers, a theater professor and other university employees in Tennessee; and a Marine Corps recruiter have been among the professionals fired, suspended or put on leave over social media posts some people found offensive.
American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Clemson University, The Joe Burrow Foundation and the Carolina Panthers are among organizations across the country that also took action over social media posts by employees.
Walt Disney-owned ABC said Sept. 17 that it will indefinitely stop airing “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” after the late-night host’s comments about Kirk’s assassination came under harsh criticism from the head of the Federal Communications Commission.
Includes reporting by USA TODAY.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Canton councilman faces backlash for Charlie Kirk reposts on personal Facebook page
Reporting by Grace Springer, Canton Repository / The Repository
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
