Office Depot has issued an apology and fired an employee after a store in Michigan refused to print posters for a Charlie Kirk vigil.
Kirk, a right-wing activist and founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed last week while speaking at an event.
Now, video footage has emerged showing an employee in Portage, Michigan, refusing to print a poster because of the political nature of it, describing it as ‘propaganda’.
Charlie Kirk was shot at a Utah Valley talk on Wednesday
Kirk was known for his divisive political views, and in the video, an Office Depot employee claiming to be the manager on duty could be seen refusing to print the poster relating to a vigil.
The incident quickly went viral and reached some lawmakers in the state, including Republican Bill Huizenga.
On X, he wrote: “It is absolutely shameful that @OfficeDepot in Portage refused to print this poster for the vigil tonight at Bronson Park in Kalamazoo,
“These individuals paid for the work to be done, and the employees appear to have refused to do it because it was in memory of Charlie Kirk.”
Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt also saw the footage, tweeting that ‘the employee in the video has been fired’.
Office Depot releases a statement
Now, Office Depot has released a statement expressing their displeasure at the incident, adding that the employee had since been fired.
The statement reads: “Office Depot is deeply concerned by the unfortunate customer experience that occurred at Store 3382 in Portage, Michigan.
“The behavior displayed by our associate is completely unacceptable and insensitive, violates our company policies, and does not reflect the values we uphold at Office Depot.
“On behalf of the Company, we sincerely apologize for this regrettable situation.”
The company continued: “Upon learning of the incident, we immediately reached out to the customer to address their concerns and seek to fulfill their order to their satisfaction.
“We also launched an immediate internal review and, as a result, the associate involved is no longer with the organization.
“We continue to aggressively investigate the matter and will take action where appropriate.
“We are committed to reinforcing training with all team members to ensure our standards of respect, integrity, and customer service are upheld at every location.
“Our customers and communities deserve nothing less.”
The hunt for Kirk’s killer
After Kirk was shot and killed, a manhunt took place to find the person who killed him.
FBI released a statement after a ‘high-powered rifle’ was discovered in woodland near to the scene, as well as footage that showed a ‘person of interest’ to the case fleeing the scene from a rooftop.
Eventually, Tyler Robinson was arrested in connection with the ki11ing, and is being held without bail in Utah.
