An Office Depot employee in Portage, Michigan, refused to print a poster for a vigil honouring slain conservative commentator Charlie Kirk on Friday, calling it “propaganda”, leading to backlash from conservatives and prompting the company to apologise and firing the employee.
The order was placed that afternoon by the Kalamazoo County Republican Party, attorney Matthew DePerno , a Republican activist said. Hours later, the store’s print supervisor phoned to cancel it. DePerno shared video of the encounter and a receipt for $56, accusing the company of censorship.
The video drew more than 100,000 views online, with Republican figures and X users calling for a boycott of the chain.
Office Depot said it was “deeply concerned” by the incident. The company said it had reached out to organisers to resolve the matter and that the employee was no longer with the organisation.
“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. We sincerely apologize to the customer affected and to our community for this regrettable situation,” a spokesperson for the company said in a statement to The Post.
Kirk, 31, founder of Turning Point USA, was assassinated on Wednesday during an outdoor event at a Utah college campus. The poster was meant for a vigil planned the same evening.
The order was placed that afternoon by the Kalamazoo County Republican Party, attorney Matthew DePerno , a Republican activist said. Hours later, the store’s print supervisor phoned to cancel it. DePerno shared video of the encounter and a receipt for $56, accusing the company of censorship.
Office Depot (@officedepot) employees refuse to print a poster for a Charlie Kirk vigil in Michigan, claiming it's "political propaganda."
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) September 12, 2025
"It's propaganda... I'm one of the managers."
About to be one of the *former* managers. pic.twitter.com/DIeMgux3ta
The video drew more than 100,000 views online, with Republican figures and X users calling for a boycott of the chain.
Office Depot said it was “deeply concerned” by the incident. The company said it had reached out to organisers to resolve the matter and that the employee was no longer with the organisation.
“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. We sincerely apologize to the customer affected and to our community for this regrettable situation,” a spokesperson for the company said in a statement to The Post.
Kirk, 31, founder of Turning Point USA, was assassinated on Wednesday during an outdoor event at a Utah college campus. The poster was meant for a vigil planned the same evening.
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