UFC CEO Dana White spoke out in opposition to folks dropping their jobs for crucial feedback about conservative activist Charlie Kirk throughout his look on CBS’s “60 Minutes” on September 28. White condemned what he described as makes an attempt to destroy folks’s lives over controversial statements whereas sustaining that celebrating somebody’s demise crosses ethical boundaries.
Dana White talks Charlie Kirk
White addressed the wave of firings that adopted Kirk’s assassination on September 10 at Utah Valley College in Utah. The 31-year-old conservative activist and Turning Level USA founder was fatally shot by 22-year-old Tyler Robinson whereas debating college students throughout his “American Comeback Tour.” Robinson, who was charged with aggravated homicide on September 16, faces the demise penalty if convicted.
free speech protections
Throughout the interview, White expressed his stance on cancel tradition and free speech protections. “I’m an enormous believer in free speech, and sadly most likely a very powerful speech to guard is hate speech,” White instructed CBS correspondent Jon Wertheim. When requested about his views on cancel tradition, White responded, “No. I hate it. On either side.”
White particularly referenced the present state of affairs surrounding Kirk’s demise, noting that individuals had been being terminated from their positions for social media posts. “It’s like all of the stuff that’s happening with Charlie proper now. You recognize, these persons are going out and saying stuff. And, you recognize, you’re seeing folks getting fired or kicked out of faculty,” White defined.
The UFC president made clear distinctions between ethical judgment {and professional} penalties. “I feel you’re a disgusting human being should you’re celebrating the demise of one other human being, however folks make errors and persons are gonna do dumb issues. I don’t like making an attempt to destroy folks’s lives over doing one thing dumb,” White said.
Getting Fired over Kirk
A number of organizations have dismissed workers following social media posts about Kirk’s assassination. Reviews point out that greater than 145 people throughout numerous professions have confronted disciplinary actions or termination, together with journalists, educators, airline employees, healthcare professionals, and restaurant workers. These firings occurred after conservative activists and Republican officers launched campaigns to determine and report individuals who made statements deemed inappropriate about Kirk’s demise.
The dismissals have sparked debate in regards to the boundaries of free speech and worker protections. Corporations cited violations of social media insurance policies and potential hurt to their reputations as justification for the terminations. Authorized specialists notice that the majority non-public employers have broad latitude to fireplace workers for public statements, as most employees are employed beneath at-will agreements.
White beforehand mentioned Kirk’s demise throughout a September 17 look on the “IMPAULSIVE” podcast, the place he described his shock on the information and the affect on his 19-year-old daughter, who adopted Kirk on social media. “I used to be really stunned by how impacted my youngsters had been. My youngsters used to observe him on social media. My daughter, she’s 19, she’s in school, and she or he’s been simply destroyed over this factor for the final couple days,” White stated.
Tyler Robinson
White’s feedback come as Robinson prepares for his subsequent courtroom look. The suspect, who attended Utah State College briefly earlier than pursuing {an electrical} apprenticeship, has been held with out bail since his give up on September 12. Prosecutors have revealed textual content messages and DNA proof linking Robinson to the crime, together with communications the place he allegedly confessed to the capturing and described planning the assault for over every week.
Kirk was a distinguished determine in conservative politics and an in depth ally of President Donald Trump. His assassination occurred throughout a interval of accelerating political violence in America, following different current incidents together with shootings of Democratic legislators in Minnesota and assassination makes an attempt on Trump in 2024.
