WASHINGTON, D.C. – Randi Weingarten, the head of the American Federation of Teachers, used the Charlie Kirk assassination as an opportunity to pitch a book she wrote about how fascists fear teachers.
Civil discourse?
Weingarten also criticized holding teachers accountable for negative comments made in the wake of Kirk’s assassination, saying historically that fascists have feared teachers.
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“Last week’s assassination of Charlie Kirk was a horrific act of political violence,” Weingarten said in a Sept. 19 email.
“But in the aftermath, instead of coming together to heal, some have chosen to weaponize this tragedy, targeting educators for their personal opinions, doxing them, and seeking to limit their First Amendment rights. That is wrong. It sends a dangerous message that undermines civil discourse and our democracy.”
“Why are teachers under attack?” Weingarten continued. “Because authoritarians fear what educators do every day—teach critical thinking; welcome all students, not just some; create opportunity so every child has a shot at the American dream; and build strong unions that make our economy fairer.”
She continued, “I outline this in my newly released book, ‘Why Fascists Fear Teachers.’ In it, I write about why fascists throughout history have feared teachers—because public education is essential to freedom, democracy and opportunity. So at this inflection point, we must do two things at once: denounce political violence and de-escalate, while also refusing to let tragedy be used to erode constitutional rights or silence educators.”
Other “unprofessional comments.”
WZZM reported that a middle school teacher was suspended at Hopkins Public Schools for making “unprofessional comments” “about personal beliefs,” involving the Kirk assassination, according to the school district.
MLive reported that at Galesburg-Augusta Community Schools a teacher was placed on administrative leave after posting on social media that Kirk’s assassination was “karma.”
In addition, The Detroit News reported a teacher at Vassar Public Schools was placed on administrative leave for an online post regarding the death of Kirk. The district did not reveal the comment but condemned it as not reflective of the district’s leadership.
“Fascists” is a frequent term.
Weingarten pitched her book and used the term “fascists” in the Sept. 19 email as well as in the title of her book. That comes at a time when politicians are calling out activists for violence-inciting rhetoric.
Conservatives have said there was a link between politically-motivated violence that led to the assassination of Kirk and calling political opponents terms like “fascists.”
Dictonary.com clarifies the word “fascist” in a 2020 article. “For many of us, the words fascist and Nazi bring to mind the worst dictators and crimes against humanity.” The post described how the terms “fascism” and “Nazi” are often used hand-in-hand and how “fascism” is often used when describing Adolf Hitler.