Item Seller Profits from Kirk’s Shooting Incident

Shortly after the confirmation of Charlie Kirk’s death, a flood of advertisements for memorial products emerged on Facebook and Instagram.

A viral post boasting over 8,000 shares and several hundred thousand likes has gained traction for promoting the “Echo of Freedom” shirt, featuring Jesus’ American flag and Kirk’s signature. This design portrays him as a representation of “faith, freedom, America.” The very shirt that Kirk wore at the time of his assassination has become a popular item among his conservative backers. Another brand, Liberty Faith Gear, has adopted a more aggressive marketing approach with its Patriot version, declaring, “It rises when freedom is attacked. I won’t hide it. I won’t bow.”

Neither brand is officially linked to Kirk’s Turning Point USA and both are based in the United States. In fact, they are operated by Guangzhou Xiue Network Technology, an e-commerce business located in Panyu, China’s southern Guangdong Province, known as the country’s first fashion capital.

After Kirk’s assassination, a number of foreign apparel and commodity firms quickly capitalized on the event. The Guardian identified at least seven companies, including Harbin Huanjia Trading Limited and Jinhua Hongrun e-Commerce, which are profiting from Kirk’s products. Like Guangzhou Shiwei, these companies have a history of selling highly partisan and culture war-themed merchandise and have inundated Facebook and Instagram with numerous commemorative advertisements. They encourage prospective buyers to commemorate Kirk’s legacy by purchasing shirts, often claiming that profits will benefit his organization and family.

According to records from the Chinese company, Guangzhou Shiwei was established in 2021 and specializes in “multi-channel cross-border e-commerce operations.” The company manages a network of numerous social media accounts and e-commerce websites, being among the first to run ads exploiting Kirk’s death. Each account caters to various themes—some focused on faith and religion, others on patriotism and freedom, while some engage different US communities to promote interaction and sales.

In addition to Facebook accounts like See Insin, Liberty Faith Gear, and USA Freedom T, Guangzhou Shiwei operates USA Veterans. This page prominently features Kirk’s image and the Turning Point USA logo to create a recognizable presence, asserting their support for “TPUSA chapters nationwide.” They often use familiar language and addresses that sound legitimate to many Americans, yet a quick Google search reveals that many of these listed addresses correspond to gas stations.

A representative from Turning Point USA informed the Guardian that the Wear Freedom Brand is not affiliated with their organization.

Some of these ads from Guangzhou Shiwei’s network have even claimed that “100% of the profits from this shirt will go directly to Turning Point USA,” a statement that violates US law regarding political donations.

Attempts by the Guardian to reach out to the company for comments were unsuccessful.

Following Kirk’s death, national media and state actors from Russia, Iran, and China quickly entered the discourse, fueling a debate about the assailant and freedom of speech. They exploited the controversy to sow division. “Astroturfing“—the practice of using fake identities to generate a false sense of popularity—was recognized by many Americans during the 2016 elections. However, profit-driven companies have long used similar tactics for political influence.

Darren Linville, a professor at Clemson University specializing in media disinformation, pointed out that exploiting political moments for marketing purposes is nothing new, particularly within American markets.

“These networks exist for a reason. They are incredibly advantageous,” Linville remarked. “If we could eliminate cryptocurrency and t-shirt sales, we’d eliminate half of our social media trolls.”

This isn’t the first instance of Guangzhou employing these misleading tactics. Prior to the last presidential election, accounts managed by the same company were found to have similarly used deceptive strategies, pledging illegal political contributions to support the Trump campaign while simultaneously promoting merchandise linked to the Harris Campaign and other PACs through products like “Childless Cat Lady” T-shirts and “can prevent communism” baseball caps.

At that time, 404 Media, the technology news outlet that first reported on this network of accounts, indicated that Meta, Facebook’s parent company, had removed hundreds of these ads following their intervention. Nevertheless, Guangzhou Shiwei persists in operating many of the same accounts and has used them recently to promote Kirk-themed products.

In a statement, Meta stated: “Regrettably, we utilize current events to attract highly engaged individuals online.” They mentioned having removed ads identified by the Guardian and the associated accounts deemed in violation of their policies, affirming their commitment to legally pursue those responsible for rule-breaking content.

Despite the firm’s efforts, several of its Astroturfing accounts continue to function on Meta’s platform, buying advertisements and promoting hundreds of red t-shirts, urging Americans to wear them on October 14th, coinciding with what would have been Kirk’s birthday.