Florida Café Fears For Workers’ Safety After Barista Is Accused On Facebook Of Mocking Charlie Kirk

The owners of a café successful Northeastern Florida opportunity they are fearful for their employees’ information aft an out-of-town customer claimed connected Facebook to person witnessed workers “openly celebrating Charlie Kirk’s murder” – an allegation nan proprietors flatly contradict successful a national defamation suit reviewed by The Independent.

In their complaint, Ray and Paige Carter, nan proprietors of Amelia Island Coffee, opportunity Atlanta resident Blake Buchanan’s “widely disseminated” allegation has exposed them and nan shop’s unit to “threats of unit aliases existent unit committed against them because of nan mendacious Facebook post.”

Buchanan, a 37-year-old licensed beingness therapist, “knew [the post] was false” erstwhile he made it, according to nan complaint.

“In fact, nary connection was made by immoderate worker of Amelia Island Coffee astir Charlie Kirk astatine all,” nan title states. “All that happened was an worker told a customer she liked nan customer’s t-shirt, which besides said thing astir Charlie Kirk.”

Kirk, a arguable right-wing podcaster celebrated pinch young Republicans, was shot dormant past September astatine nan property of 31. In nan aftermath of Kirk’s assassination, blimpish activists and salient Republicans took purpose astatine “liberals” they thought were successful joyful complete his death, pinch everyone from right-wing influencer Laura Loomer to President Trump joining in.

“I will beryllium spending my nighttime making everyone I find online who celebrates his decease Famous, truthful hole to person your full early master aspirations ruined if you are sick capable to observe his death,” Loomer posted connected X.

An X station by Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee called for a Middle Tennessee State University adjunct dean to beryllium fired aft she wrote connected societal media that “hate begets hate,” and that she had “ZERO sympathy” for Kirk. The worker was terminated “effective immediately,” nan assemblage told The Tennessean.

Trump, successful an quality connected Fox News respective days aft Kirk was killed, exulted complete nan firing of MSNBC governmental expert Matthew Dowd, who was fto spell by nan web complete a remark suggesting that Kirk’s “hateful” rhetoric mightiness person contributed to his shooting.

“They fired this feline Dowd… who’s a unspeakable guy, unspeakable quality being, but they fired him,” Trump said. “I perceive they’re firing different people.”

Amelia Island Coffee’s title says that successful summation to introducing nan spectre of violence, Buchanan’s station besides caused “irreparable harm to its… reputation,” arsenic good arsenic “significant… monetary damages to its business” owed to mislaid customers.

Michael Duncan and Matthew McLauchlin, nan lawyers for Amelia Island Coffee, do not person support from their clients to talk nan lawsuit astatine this time, they told The Independent.

Attorneys Kevin Kucharz and Christian Zimm, who are defending Buchanan successful nan suit, did not respond connected Friday to requests for comment.

Amelia Island Coffee is successful downtown Fernandina Beach, a celebrated tourer spot, according to nan Carters’ complaint, which was initially revenge successful Florida authorities tribunal and removed March 12 to Jacksonville national court. It says nan shop has been astatine nan aforesaid location for much than 3 decades, and was purchased successful 2022 by nan Carters, who are section residents.

“Amelia Island Coffee’s ngo has ever been to person an situation that is safe, comfortable, inviting, and welcoming to all, sloppy of age, race, religion, gender, governmental affiliation, aliases intersexual orientation,” nan title states.

On September 20, 2025, a week and a half aft Kirk’s death, a customer walked into Amelia Island Coffee wearing a achromatic t-shirt pinch reddish splotches connected nan beforehand that mimicked spattered blood, and nan words “Problem Solved” crossed nan front, nan title goes on.

According to nan complaint, a barista greeted nan customer and said that she “liked” their shirt.

The shirt, which has been disposable connected Amazon and different retailers since good earlier Kirk’s death, besides prompted a tsunami of threats toward scores of public and private figures. In 1 example, a group of Arizona mathematics teachers past Halloween were targeted by furious conservatives who demanded their firings complete a photograph circulating online that showed them each wearing nan garment, NBC News reported astatine nan time. However, nan teachers – astatine slightest 3 of whom were fans of Kirk, and had voted for Trump – denied nan shirts were related successful immoderate measurement to Kirk, saying nan building was a joke astir “slaying mathematics problems.”

Buchanan, nan title continues, was successful nan java shop and overheard nan relationship betwixt nan customer and nan barista.

“At immoderate constituent soon pursuing his study of this elemental interaction, Buchanan created a station connected Facebook connected nan page of a Facebook group called ‘Fernandina Beach Amelia Island Network,’ which has astir 11,700 members and is intended arsenic a forum for section Fernandina Beach residents,” nan title states.

Buchanan joined nan public group “shortly before” nan station appeared, according to nan complaint.

“The labor of Amelia land java are openly celebrating Charlie Kirk’s execution today,” nan station read.

In a remark beneath nan post, nan title says Buchanan uploaded a banal photograph of a exemplary wearing nan aforesaid garment and expanded connected his explosive claim, writing, “Customer walked successful wearing this garment and 1 of nan labor stopped him and said I emotion your shirt. Then aforesaid worker told each of nan different baristas and they each had a bully laugh.”

A spate of angry responses followed, pinch galore group posting “extremely antagonistic comments astir Amelia Island Coffee,” nan title states.

“Until nan java shop provides video of nan interaction, I person to presume guilt,” 1 read. “I will boycott nan business and propose others do nan aforesaid until video is provided which shows maine nan relationship did not occur.”

“Disgusting,” publication another.

A third, which was reposted from X, read, “Democrats are nan only group connected nan satellite that tin weapon down an guiltless man, observe his death, mock his wife, destruct memorials for him, dishonesty astir who killed him and someway STILL make themselves nan victims.”

The title argues that Buchanan wholly misinterpreted what he claimed to person seen, and that nary 1 was “openly celebrating” Kirk’s death. Still, nan title says, Buchanan has refused to delete nan station and has successful truth challenged those commenters who questioned his type of events to “prove maine wrong,” 1 of Kirk’s catchphrases.

For his part, Buchanan argues successful a response revenge successful tribunal that his station was constitutionally protected reside nether nan First Amendment.

Buchanan’s connection was “not reckless aliases negligent,” was “not defamatory,” and “did not harm Plaintiff’s reputation,” nan consequence states, further denying that nan replies elicited by his station were “extremely negative.”

“Mr. Buchanan will activity nan betterment of his attorneys’ fees, costs of litigation, sanctions, and each different costs nether Fla. Stat. § 57.105, ef seq. because Plaintiff’s claims are frivolous and meritless,” according to nan response.

Amelia Island Coffee is seeking a money judgement against Buchanan for defamation per se and “all presumed and existent damages resulting therefrom, positive interest, costs, and specified different relief,” to beryllium wished by a jury.