Three Rhode Island high school students stood up to their teacher after he allegedly bashed Charlie Kirk in a TikTok tirade.
Amid public backlash, officials placed Barrington High School teacher Benjamin Fillo on administrative leave, WLNE-TV in Massachusetts reported Tuesday.
In a deranged TikTok rant, Fillo called Kirk a “piece of garbage” while making numerous unfounded claims about the late conservative activist.
Kirk was brutally assassinated on Sept. 10 during a college campus event in Orem, Utah.
BREAKING: Benjamin Fillo, a teacher at @bps_ri has been placed on administrative leave after reportedly posting this disgusting video celebrating and mocking Charlie’s m*rder
FIRE HIM pic.twitter.com/MQcY1KBhNF
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) September 12, 2025
“This is a man who hated the LGBTQ community, who hated women’s rights, who hated democracy, who thought that he was a big man because he went to college campuses, and debated young college students, and thought he proved how tough he was with his words that he studied ahead of time,” Fillo said.
“What a piece of garbage. This is what happens,” the social studies teacher said.
“Bye, Charlie,” he said.
Do you agree with these students?
Fillo’s rhetoric disgusted parents and students of Barrington, Rhode Island.
Perhaps most notably, three of Fillo’s own students criticized him during a Monday board meeting with parents and staff, according to the New York Post.
“No matter what anyone says to me, I will never stand for violence, especially of a man who was publicly murdered in front of his wife, one of his children, thousands of students, and other bystanders,” a student named Jakari said. “Charlie was not a racist, he did not hurt anyone sexually, and he did not kill anyone.
“Therefore this was an unjustified cause of death and this should never be celebrated,” Jakari said, adding that the teacher deserves to lose his job.
Another student, Caleb, also condemned the teacher.
“As civilians and people of our great country, we hold ourselves to a higher standard than to support — or worse yet — rejoice in violence,” Caleb said. “Someone who advocated for an arrested murderer and assassinator of one of the greatest debaters and free speakers of our time should have no place in the classroom, more so around young children.”
The third student, Brandon, talked about the world’s need for God.
“As a student of Barrington High, I did not feel comfortable or safe with our teachers supporting violence,” Brandon said. “We believe this world needs God, because something as cruel as this should never be celebrated.”
Fillo has worked at the school for 15 years.
Following the controversy, the school hired a private investigator to investigate him.
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