An Ohio father says he’s been living under a torrent of harassment after a series of viral Facebook posts criticizing conservative activist Charlie Kirk and mocking Kirk’s wife, Erika. Matthew Berdyck, who lives in Akron, Ohio, claims the backlash escalated into thousands of abusive messages, threats against his family, and what he describes as a coordinated campaign of intimidation from online MAGA supporters.
In a lengthy and viral post shared to Facebook on December 12, Berdyck wrote that he initially condemned political violence after news broke of Charlie Kirk’s death, saying he didn’t even know who Kirk was at the time. But over the next three months, he says, his online profile grew, and so did the rage directed at him. Berdyck claims he received more than 25,000 hateful comments, ranging from insults and slurs to explicit threats of violence:
According to Berdyck, the most disturbing part wasn’t the name-calling aimed at him, but that the messages are now targeting his family. He alleges hundreds of inappropriate comments about his 17-year-old daughter, threats to murder her, threats against his 70-year-old mother, and even threats toward his 94-year-old grandfather from whom he claimed were MAGA supporters.
Despite the threats, Berdyck still claps back regularly against the online threats, calling them, “These MAGA are rabid animals.” In one post, he mocked his alleged harassers by going to a grocery store without security and eating pizza, writing that “MAGA is all talk, no action.” He added that his daughter’s response to the threats was to keep working on a puppet for a show choir at home, unbothered, listening to Metallica, and far tougher than the men sending messages.
Berdyck Continues to Post Harassment & Threats from MAGA Supporters Daily
So far, it appears the hateful messages aren’t stopping anytime soon, as Berdyck keeps sharing some of the hate messages on a daily basis. It appears the controversy reignited after Berdyck floated the idea of attending a Turning Point USA event to confront Erika Kirk, asking followers whether it would be “wrong” to tell her to “STFU and get back in the kitchen.” The comment drew both support and criticism, further fueling the online firestorm.
Some, however, have reminded Berdyck that he should not “judge everyone the same way because of what a few do” to which the Ohio dad replied, “A few? 25,000 separate people? If you’re unique then fall out of line with Trump and don’t minimize the actions of your fellow party members. One guy shot Charlie Kirk yet I’m told everyday I’m being held accountable for it even though I spoke out against it.”
Of course, this isn’t the first time legions of people flocked online to spew hatred over Charlie Kirk’s name. A few months ago, even huge corporations weren’t spared the backlash, even for something as innocuous as an anti-fascist promotion for Indiana Jones. As of now, Berdyck continues posting, insisting the harassment proves his point. “If one day I stop posting,” he wrote, “then you’ll know why.”
