An employee at a Michigan Office Depot was fired after allegedly refusing to print posters for a vigil honoring Charlie Kirk, instead calling the material ‘propaganda.’
The 31-year-old conservative firebrand was shot in the neck during a debate with a student about mass shootings, with horrifying footage showing him recoil from the impact before he was later pronounced dead.
On Friday afternoon, the Kalamazoo County Republican Party ordered posters of the slain father-of-two from an Office Depot in Portage, Michigan, ahead of a vigil honoring Kirk that night.
But nearly three hours after the order was placed, a supervisor named Beryl contacted organizers to say the action would not be completed, labeling the content as ‘political propaganda.’
That night, attorney and Republican activist Matthew DePerno took to X to call out the company for what he described as blatant political bias.
‘Hey @officedepot @OfficeMax do you think this is acceptable?’ he wrote, sharing a photo of the $56.17 receipt for the canceled order.
Alongside the receipt, DePerno also shared a video taken inside the store, where he appeared to confront employees about the call he had received.
A woman he spoke with identified herself as one of the store’s managers and reiterated that the location ‘doesn’t print political propaganda.’
An employee at a Michigan Office Depot was fired after allegedly refusing to print posters for a vigil honoring Charlie Kirk, instead calling the material ‘political propaganda’ (pictured: poster in question)
The 31-year-old conservative firebrand (pictured before death) was shot in the neck at the event during a debate with a student about mass shootings, with horrifying footage showing him recoil from the impact before he was later pronounced dead
On Friday afternoon, the Kalamazoo County Republican Party ordered posters of the slain father-of-two from an Office Depot in Portage, Michigan (pictured), ahead of a vigil honoring Kirk that night
DePerno defended his position, telling the seated employees that the flyers were for someone who had passed away and were specifically intended for a prayer vigil scheduled that night.
Even after hearing that, the woman maintained that the store does not print materials like that.
Another woman, who appeared to be filming the exchange, then joined the conversation, asking the manager what specifically about the request made it ‘political propaganda.’
‘Because he’s a political figure and I don’t have to…’ the employee began, before trailing off mid-sentence.
In his post on X, DePerno shared that the group then went to FedEx, where the staff apologized and printed the poster free of charge.
Despite securing the poster – a black-and-white photo of Kirk fist-bumping the air with the words ‘The Legendary Charlie Kirk’ – DePerno’s post racked up thousands of views within just 24 hours.
Office Depot faced immediate and intense backlash, with some calling for a complete boycott of the store.
‘HOLY CRAP. A customer put in an order and paid for a poster for a vigil for Charlie. @officedepot REFUSED to print it because they said it’s “propaganda.” WTF @officedepot?!’ Libs of TikTok wrote to X.
Nearly three hours after the order was placed, a supervisor named Beryl contacted organizers to say the posters would not be completed, labeling the content as ‘political propaganda’ (pictured: receipt from the poster order)
Republican activist Matthew DePerno shared a video from inside the store, where he questions an employee who identified herself as a manager (pictured) and insisted that the store does not print materials like that
Just hours after DePerno’s viral post, Office Depot took to X to express that they are ‘deeply concerned’ and confirmed the employee involved is no longer with the company
In his post on X, DePerno shared that the group then went to FedEx, where the staff apologized and printed the poster free of charge (pictured: makeshift memorial at Turning Point USA headquarters)
Another user wrote: ‘Office Depot just dug the final grave for themselves.’
‘Sell your Office Depot stock! They will feel that more than any boycott,’ suggested a third.
Another comment read: ‘WTF @officedepot…#BoycottOfficeDepot they don’t want our business so lets shut em down! Lets put them mainstream!! We can do this! Anti-American P.O.S!!’
Global entrepreneur Inga Springman wrote to X: ‘Disgusted and disappointed at the local Portage, MI Office Depot that refused to print a picture of Charlie Kirk, for a prayer vigil tonight. I’m asking every American that sees this to boycott Office Depot. #boycottofficedepot.’
Just hours after DePerno’s viral post, Office Depot took to X to express that they are ‘deeply concerned’ and confirmed the employee involved is no longer with the company.
‘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,’ the company wrote.
‘We sincerely apologize to the customer affected and to our community for this regrettable situation,’ the statement added.
Office Depot further explained that they immediately reached out to the customer to ensure the order was fulfilled to their satisfaction.
However, it remains uncertain whether Office Depot refunded the payment.
‘We also launched an immediate internal review and, as a result, the associate involved is no longer with the organization,’ they wrote.
‘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.’
