The website Jezebel issued a statement after enlisting witches to curse conservative activist Charlie Kirk, merely two days prior to his death on Wednesday during an event at a Utah college.
An article published on September 8 was titled ‘We Paid Some Etsy Witches to Curse Charlie Kirk.’
As news trickled in of Kirk’s assassination on Wednesday, the left-leaning website issued a statement clarifying the timing of the post.
‘This story was published on September 8,’ the site noted in the statement following Kirk’s death. Kirk was a significant ally of President Donald Trump and played a pivotal role in engaging young Republican voters.
The outlet continued: ‘Jezebel condemned the shooting of Charlie Kirk in the strongest possible terms.
‘We do not endorse, encourage, or excuse political violence of any kind.’
The website Jezebel issued a statement after enlisting witches to curse conservative activist Charlie Kirk, merely two days prior to his death on Wednesday during an event at a Utah college. Pictured Wednesday
An article published on September 8 was titled ‘We Paid Some Etsy Witches to Curse Charlie Kirk’
In the ill-timed first-person narrative, the author mused on the charms of being able to purchase a ‘curse as easily as I can buy a phone charger.’
The author explained in detail the different services provided on Etsy in terms of witchcraft.
‘You can find a spell for just about anything,’ The author wrote. ‘Don’t want it to rain on your wedding day? There’s a spell for that.
‘Want the man who cheated on you to develop an incurable rash? Or premature balding? The Etsy coven has you covered.’
The author subsequently tagged Kirk as one of the ‘downsides’ of the Internet, citing his politics.
‘Whether it’s his fixation on controlling women or his excessively large head, the far-right podcaster’s presence is more aggravating than most,’ the author remarked.
The author of the piece said that there was a clear convergence between witchcraft and politics amid the times of political tribalism.
‘It’s not unusual for [witches] to direct their energy toward hindering Republicans (there’s even a subreddit dedicated to nightly hexes on Trump).’
The author questioned, ‘Would you like to see Kirk face consequences for the years of backward rhetoric he has shouted at America’s youth and anyone within hearing distance?
‘Here at Jezebel, we’re about to find out if there’s a spell for that.’
As news trickled in of Kirk’s assassination on Wednesday, the left-leaning website issued a statement clarifying the timing of the post. Pictured Wednesday
Kirk appeared to be in good spirits at the political event before tragedy ensued
No suspect was in custody late Wednesday, though authorities were searching for a new person of interest, according to a law enforcement official familiar with the matter who was not authorized to discuss the situation by name and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Two people were detained earlier in the day but neither was determined to have had any connection to the shooting and both have been released, Utah public safety officials said.
Authorities did not immediately identify a motive but the circumstances of the shooting drew renewed attention to an escalating threat of political violence in the United States that in the last several years has cut across the ideological spectrum.
The assassination drew bipartisan condemnation, but a national reckoning over ways to prevent political grievances from manifesting as deadly violence seemed elusive.
Videos posted to social media from Utah Valley University show Kirk speaking into a handheld microphone while sitting under a white tent emblazoned with the slogans The American Comeback and Prove Me Wrong.
A single shot rings out and Kirk can be seen reaching up with his right hand as a large volume of blood gushes from the left side of his neck. Stunned spectators are heard gasping and screaming before people start to run away.
The Associated Press was able to confirm the videos were taken at Sorensen Center courtyard on the Utah Valley University campus.
Kirk was speaking at a debate hosted by his nonprofit political organization. Immediately before the shooting, Kirk was taking questions from an audience member about mass shootings and gun violence.
‘Do you know how many transgender Americans have been mass shooters over the last 10 years?’ the person asked. Kirk responded, ‘Too many.’
The questioner followed up: ‘Do you know how many mass shooters there have been in America over the last 10 years?’
Kirk was pictured tossing hats to attendees at Wednesday’s rally before he was fatally shot
Attendees ducked for cover after the shots rang out at the political gathering
‘Counting or not counting gang violence?’ Kirk said.
Then a single shot rang out. The shooter, who Cox pledged would be held accountable in a state with the death penalty, wore dark clothing and fired from a building roof some distance away to the courtyard where the event took place.
Some 3,000 people were in attendance, according to a statement from the Utah Department of Public Safety, which also said the university police department had six officers working the event along with Kirk’s own security detail.
The death was announced on social media by Trump, who praised the 31-year-old Kirk, the co-founder and CEO of the youth organization Turning Point USA, as ‘Great, and even Legendary.’
Later Wednesday, he released a recorded video from the White House in which he called Kirk a ‘martyr for truth and freedom’ and blamed the rhetoric of the ‘radical left’ for the killing.
Utah Valley University said the campus was immediately evacuated and remained closed. Classes were canceled until further notice. Those still on campus were asked to stay in place until police officers could safely escort them off campus.
A rally attendee wept following the fatal shooting of the political activist
A caravan of police were seen leaving Orem, Utah’s Timpanogos Regional Hospital
Arizonans mourn Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk during a prayer vigil at Desert Horizon Park on Wednesday
Armed officers walked around the neighborhood bordering the campus, knocking on doors and asking for information on the shooter.
Officers were seen looking at a photo on their phones and showing it to people to see if they recognized a person of interest.
The event, billed as the first stop on Kirk’s ‘The American Comeback Tour,’ had generated a polarizing campus reaction. An online petition calling for university administrators to bar Kirk from appearing received nearly 1,000 signatures.
The university issued a statement last week citing First Amendment rights and affirming its ‘commitment to free speech, intellectual inquiry, and constructive dialogue.’
Last week, Kirk posted on X images of news clips showing his visit was sparking controversy. He wrote, ‘What´s going on in Utah?’
