Feminist website Jezebel has issued a statement after publishing an article that claimed to have put a curse on far-right commentator Charlie Kirk, just days before he was shot and killed at a speaking event in Utah on Wednesday.
Jezebel says it had published the piece, titled ‘We Paid Some Etsy Witches to Curse Charlie Kirk’, in jest on Monday (September 8).
“The piece was intended as satire and made it absolutely clear that we wished no physical harm,” the editor’s note said.
Jezebel said that following Wednesday’s event and the recommendation of their lawyers, they decided to remove the piece from their site.
“To be clear, this decision was driven by an abundance of caution for our staff and to avoid the piece being misused in a tense and volatile environment, not by a change in our editorial judgment,” said the statement.
“We may republish at a later date, but out of compassion for the victim’s family, we want to make clear that we prioritise an end to violence over anyone wanting to read about Etsy witches.”
A high-profile ally of US president Donald Trump and gun rights advocate, Kirk was shot in the neck and killed on Wednesday at his speaking tour event after being asked a question by an audience member about mass shootings and gun violence.
A manhunt for the shooter is currently underway, according to the Utah Department of Public Safety, which is leading the investigation along with the FBI. The shooter is believed to have fired once from a nearby roof in a “targeted attack”, with the motive yet to be confirmed.
Coincidentally, Jezebel published their humorous piece before this incident took place, where the author wrote that she paid three witches she contacted on Etsy to cast spells on Kirk, including “make everyone hate him”. However, the author had made it clear that they did not wish for Kirk to be harmed, only for daily annoyances to occur to him.
“If the far-right misogynist with a bad haircut wants to villainise independent women, Jezebel is more than happy to be the hag of his nightmares,” the original piece read.
In parts of the piece, the writer explained that they turned to Etsy to find a “curse” that would create comedic issues for Kirk, such as unwanted acne and clothing that doesn’t fit right.
“I just want to make it clear, I’m not calling on dark forces to cause him harm. I just want him to wake up every morning with an inexplicable zit. I want his podcast microphone to malfunction every time he hits record,” the piece read.
“I want his blue blazers to suddenly all be one size too small. I want one of his socks to always be sliding down his foot. I want his thumb to grow too big to tweet. To ruin his day with the collective feminist power of the Etsy coven would be my life’s greatest joy.”
Clarifying that the website wished no violence against Kirk, Jezebel said in their statement that “free speech is a cornerstone of American democracy. Kirk’s death was a tragic event that underscores both our country’s gun problem and the increasingly heated political divide.”
“In the strongest terms possible, Jezebel does not condone, endorse, encourage, or excuse political violence of any kind.”