Texas State University has expelled a student following the circulation of a video in which he appeared to mock the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk during a memorial event held on campus earlier this week.
The footage, shared widely on social media on Tuesday morning, shows the individual repeatedly slapping his neck while referring to himself as “Charlie Kirk”, mimicking the fatal shooting that occurred on 10 September at Utah Valley University. The student is also seen climbing a statue and theatrically collapsing, imitating Kirk’s death.
The video prompted swift condemnation from Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who called for the student’s immediate expulsion. “Hey Texas State. This conduct is not accepted at our schools,” Mr Abbott wrote. “Expel this student immediately. Mocking assassination must have consequences.”
Texas State University President Kelly Damphousse described the video as “disturbing” and confirmed it had been filmed on the San Marcos campus. “Behaviour that trivialises or promotes violence is reprehensible and violates the values of TXST. It will not be tolerated,” he stated. “Expressions that glorify violence or murder have no place on our campuses.”
Later that day, Mr Damphousse announced that the individual had been identified and was “no longer a student” at the university. The institution declined to release the student’s name, citing federal privacy laws.
In a separate message to students and staff, Mr Damphousse acknowledged the emotional impact of the incident, stating that it had “shaken the Texas State community”. He urged individuals to “consider the impact that our words and actions can have on those around us”.
The expulsion follows a similar case at Texas Tech University, where an 18-year-old student was removed after a video surfaced showing her disrupting a vigil for Mr Kirk. In the footage, she is heard shouting, “F–k y’all homie dead, he got shot in the head.”
Texas Tech confirmed the student was no longer enrolled, issuing a statement that read: “Any behaviour that denigrates victims of violence is reprehensible, has no place on our campus, and does not align with our values.” The university also cited federal law in declining to comment further on the matter.
Governor Abbott also responded to the Texas Tech incident, reposting the video and stating: “Definitely picked the wrong school to taunt the death of Charlie Kirk.”
The expulsions form part of a broader wave of disciplinary actions taken against individuals who have made public remarks about Mr Kirk or his death. Since the shooting, a number of professionals, including a Secret Service employee, journalists, a Nasdaq strategist, firefighters, and school staff, have reportedly lost their jobs over comments deemed inappropriate.
The Texas Education Agency is currently investigating approximately 180 complaints against teachers accused of posting controversial remarks online regarding Mr Kirk’s death, according to the Texas Tribune.
The Texas American Federation of Teachers has criticised the investigations, describing them as a “political witch hunt against Texas educators”. In a statement, the union said: “These ‘investigations’ into teachers exercising their First Amendment rights outside their official duties silence dissent and encourage the purging of civil servants.”
Zeph Capo, president of the union, added: “What started with lawmakers weaponising their platforms against civil servants has morphed into a statewide directive to hunt down and fire educators for opinions shared on their personal social media accounts.”
