CLEVELAND, Ohio — Cleveland Fire Chief Anthony Luke was placed on paid leave Tuesday after reposting a political cartoon critical of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk and Republicans on social media, just two days after Kirk was shot on the campus of Utah Valley University.

The action has ignited a debate over free speech rights for public employees and the appropriateness of the post’s timing. These are the four takeaways from the original article .

A controversial post leads to suspension

Luke reposted a political cartoon criticizing Republicans and their stance on gun control. The post featured a cartoon depicting sacrifices to a golden assault rifle and included a 2023 quote from Kirk about the “cost” of the Second Amendment.

Mayor Justin Bibb condemned the post as “insen

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