Starbucks issue statement after Charlie Kirk fan’s drink had controversial message written on cup

Starbucks have been forced to issue a statement after a Charlie Kirk supporter's drink had a controversial message written on their takeaway cup.

Ever since the right-wing influencer, 31, was assassinated on September 10, his fans have been coming up with a variety of different ways to pay tribute to him.

The ally of Donald Trump and Turning Point USA co-founder was fatally shot while speaking at a university event in Utah, while horrified onlookers saw the ordeal unfold from the crowd.

On Sunday (21 September), tens of thousands of Americans flocked to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, for a high-profile memorial service that included speeches from Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Kirk's widow, Erika, as well as a whole host of other names.

But as we say, those who were unable to make the service are coming up with different ways to honour the podcaster - a viral one of which being ordering his favourite drink at Starbucks, which was a Mint Majesty tea with two honeys because he would 'lose his voice easily'.

Charlie Kirk previously revealed his go-to Starbucks order was a Mint Majesty with two honeys (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The trend made its way around social media after one TikToker tried to order Kirk's favourite beverage, as well as asking for his name to be written on the cup. However, the barista explained that they 'can’t do political names', and instead offered to write just 'Charlie' on the cup instead.

Unhappy with this, the customer pushed: "Why can't you write the whole name?" to which the service worker replied 'because it's political'.

Starbucks addressed the ordeal by confirming that 'when a customer wants to use a different name - including the name Charlie Kirk - when ordering their drink in our café, we aim to respect their preference'.

The statement prompted more people to try and order the drink, requesting Kirk's full name to be written - but one fan was instead given a controversial three-word message'.

Taking to Facebook yesterday (22 September), the customer shared a photo of what the barista allegedly wrote on their cup, which read 'racists fav drink'.

Critics of Kirk claim he held racist views, largely due to his belief that the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which ended racial segregation, was a mistake as it led to a 'permanent DEI-type bureaucracy'.

The customer wrote: "The girl at Starbucks thought she was cute. I don’t even support Starbucks bc of everything they stand for starting with their satanic logo, but I support Charlie Kirk so I thought you know what…I’ll get his drink.

The customer took to social media to share a snap of their drink and the three-word-message (Facebook)

"Thank you Starbucks for proving to me exactly why I prefer to support my small local Christian owned and operated coffee shop. Well done. This was at the Starbucks inside of Kroger on Towne Blvd in Middletown OH."

In a follow-up comment, they added: "I want everyone to know that I just received a phone call from a manager for Kroger and the employee was terminated this morning."

And now, Starbucks have reportedly issued their own statement on the matter, as per Fox News Digital.

It read: "Writing this on a cup is unacceptable, and we have clear policies that prohibit negative messages to help preserve a welcoming environment. This Starbucks location is licensed and operated by Kroger. We understand that this associate was terminated by Kroger."

Koger allegedly confirmed the firing, with a representative adding: "This behaviour does not reflect Kroger’s values."

Tyla has previously reached out to Starbucks for further comment.

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