Students ask U of U to hold people accountable over possible ‘Kirkiversary’ cake doxxing
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Students protested on Wednesday afternoon, asking the University of Utah to hold students and organizations responsible for possible doxxing after a student brought a cake to campus that read ‘Happy Kirkiversary,’ alluding to the anniversary of the shooting of Charlie Kirk.
A student with the University of Utah College Republicans posted a photo of the girl holding the cake, and the post created huge backlash online — including alleged doxxing of the girl.
The University of Utah is reviewing the circumstances.
READ MORE: U of U reviews circumstances around viral video of student holding ‘Kirkiversary’ cake
2News attended the protest and observed students holding signs and writing letters to the university, asking them to hold the college political group accountable.
“Well, there was a situation a couple of days ago where a student from the University of Utah posted a photo of another student and it resulted in her getting violently doxxed. She had hate comments, hate speech. Her parents were doxxed, her address was doxxed. She is no longer safe to be on campus, and that should not be tolerated by the University,” said Lili Nilsson, a sophomore at the U.
The group of students held signs saying “doxxing is not free speech” and “protect our students.” They also sat and wrote letters to the university asking them to take action.
“We want to see any groups or individuals, but specifically organizations funded by the University that promote, perpetuate, or support doxing or online harassment,” Nilsson said. “We want to see them defunded and not recognized as an organization under the University.”
Now, some members of the University of Utah College Republicans involved in the situation say they are facing possible expulsion from the school over threatening and endangering behavior stemming from the posts.
“Do you want to see the expulsion of the person that originally posted the photo?” 2News asked.
“To be honest, I don’t care about the individual person. I care when it’s an organization and systemic problem, which it has proven to be,” Nilsson said. “And I care when the University is funding that problem.”
A group of students from the University of Utah College Republicans stood across the quad — including Rylie Barnes, who says she posted the original photo of the girl with the cake.
“She voluntarily came up to our booth. She posed for over 10 minutes with that cake, and we wanted to highlight that this is what’s happening on campus, and to show parents and alumni and other youth ones what’s happening,” Barnes said. “A lot of people don’t support political violence, and to see that student on campus is making a cake and decorating it because of political violence, celebrating the assassination of Charlie Kirk. She obviously got a lot of backlash, and then she sent us an apology which we took and accepted.”
“I understand that there’s been allegations of doxing on both sides of this issue. What do you say to that?” 2News asked.
“I don’t condone doxing at anyone,” Barnes said. She told 2News neither she nor her organization participated in doxxing.
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