Florida café fears for staff’ security after barista is accused on Facebook of mocking Charlie Kirk | EUROtoday

The house owners of a café in Northeastern Florida say they’re fearful for his or her staff’ security after an out-of-town buyer claimed on Facebook to have witnessed staff “openly celebrating Charlie Kirk’s murder” – an allegation the proprietors flatly deny in a federal defamation lawsuit reviewed by The Independent.

In their criticism, Ray and Paige Carter, the proprietors of Amelia Island Coffee, say Atlanta resident Blake Buchanan’s “widely disseminated” allegation has uncovered them and the store’s workers to “threats of violence or actual violence committed against them because of the false Facebook post.”

Buchanan, a 37-year-old licensed bodily therapist, “knew [the post] was false” when he made it, based on the criticism.

“In fact, no statement was made by any employee of Amelia Island Coffee about Charlie Kirk at all,” the criticism states. “All that happened was an employee told a customer she liked the customer’s t-shirt, which also said nothing about Charlie Kirk.”

Kirk, a controversial right-wing podcaster widespread with younger Republicans, was shot useless final September on the age of 31. In the aftermath of Kirk’s assassination, conservative activists and outstanding Republicans took intention at “liberals” they thought had been in joyful over his dying, with everybody from right-wing influencer Laura Loomer to President Trump becoming a member of in.

“I will be spending my night making everyone I find online who celebrates his death Famous, so prepare to have your whole future professional aspirations ruined if you are sick enough to celebrate his death,” Loomer posted on X.

An X submit by Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee referred to as for a Middle Tennessee State University assistant dean to be fired after she wrote on social media that “hate begets hate,” and that she had “ZERO sympathy” for Kirk. The worker was terminated “effective immediately,” the college instructed The Tennessean.

Trump, in an look on Fox News a number of days after Kirk was killed, exulted over the firing of MSNBC political analyst Matthew Dowd, who was let go by the community over a remark suggesting that Kirk’s “hateful” rhetoric might need contributed to his capturing.

“They fired this guy Dowd… who’s a terrible guy, terrible human being, but they fired him,” Trump stated. “I hear they’re firing other people.”

Amelia Island Coffee’s criticism says that along with introducing the spectre of violence, Buchanan’s submit additionally prompted “irreparable harm to its… reputation,” in addition to “significant… monetary damages to its business” resulting from misplaced clients.

Michael Duncan and Matthew McLauchlin, the legal professionals for Amelia Island Coffee, shouldn’t have permission from their purchasers to debate the case at the moment, they instructed The Independent.

Attorneys Kevin Kucharz and Christian Zimm, who’re defending Buchanan within the go well with, didn’t reply on Friday to requests for remark.

Amelia Island Coffee is in downtown Fernandina Beach, a preferred vacationer spot, based on the Carters’ criticism, which was initially filed in Florida state court docket and eliminated March 12 to Jacksonville federal court docket. It says the store has been on the similar location for greater than three a long time, and was bought in 2022 by the Carters, who’re native residents.

“Amelia Island Coffee’s mission has always been to have an environment that is safe, comfortable, inviting, and welcoming to all, regardless of age, race, religion, gender, political affiliation, or sexual orientation,” the criticism states.

On September 20, 2025, per week and a half after Kirk’s dying, a buyer walked into Amelia Island Coffee carrying a white t-shirt with crimson splotches on the entrance that mimicked spattered blood, and the phrases “Problem Solved” throughout the entrance, the criticism goes on.

According to the criticism, a barista greeted the shopper and stated that she “liked” their shirt.

The shirt, which has been obtainable on Amazon and different retailers since effectively earlier than Kirk’s dying, additionally prompted a tsunami of threats towards scores of private and non-private figures. In one instance, a bunch of Arizona math lecturers final Halloween had been focused by livid conservatives who demanded their firings over a photograph circulating on-line that confirmed them every carrying the garment, NBC News reported on the time. However, the lecturers – not less than three of whom had been followers of Kirk, and had voted for Trump – denied the shirts had been associated in any solution to Kirk, saying the phrase was a joke about “slaying math problems.”

Buchanan, the criticism continues, was within the espresso store and overheard the interplay between the shopper and the barista.

“At some point shortly following his observation of this simple interaction, Buchanan created a post on Facebook on the page of a Facebook group called ‘Fernandina Beach Amelia Island Network,’ which has approximately 11,700 members and is intended as a forum for local Fernandina Beach residents,” the criticism states.

Buchanan joined the general public group “shortly before” the submit appeared, based on the criticism.

“The employees of Amelia island coffee are openly celebrating Charlie Kirk’s murder today,” the submit learn.

In a remark beneath the submit, the criticism says Buchanan uploaded a inventory picture of a mannequin carrying the identical shirt and expanded on his explosive declare, writing, “Customer walked in wearing this shirt and one of the employees stopped him and said I love your shirt. Then same employee told all of the other baristas and they all had a good laugh.”

A spate of offended responses adopted, with quite a few individuals posting “extremely negative comments about Amelia Island Coffee,” the criticism states.

“Until the coffee shop provides video of the interaction, I have to assume guilt,” one learn. “I will boycott the business and suggest others do the same until video is provided which shows me the interaction did not occur.”

“Disgusting,” learn one other.

A 3rd, which was reposted from X, learn, “Democrats are the only group on the planet that can gun down an innocent man, celebrate his death, mock his wife, destroy memorials for him, lie about who killed him and somehow STILL make themselves the victims.”

The criticism argues that Buchanan fully misinterpreted what he claimed to have seen, and that nobody was “openly celebrating” Kirk’s dying. Still, the criticism says, Buchanan has refused to delete the submit and has in truth challenged these commenters who questioned his model of occasions to “prove me wrong,” one in every of Kirk’s catchphrases.

For his half, Buchanan argues in a response filed in court docket that his submit was constitutionally protected speech beneath the First Amendment.

Buchanan’s assertion was “not reckless or negligent,” was “not defamatory,” and “did not harm Plaintiff’s reputation,” the response states, additional denying that the replies elicited by his submit had been “extremely negative.”

“Mr. Buchanan will seek the recovery of his attorneys’ fees, costs of litigation, sanctions, and all other costs under Fla. Stat. § 57.105, ef seq. because Plaintiff’s claims are frivolous and meritless,” based on the response.

Amelia Island Coffee is looking for a cash judgment in opposition to Buchanan for defamation per se and “all presumed and actual damages resulting therefrom, plus interest, costs, and such other relief,” to be decided by a jury.