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It's about repression, not free speech
The right's response to Charlie Kirk's death gives away the game.
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Following the horrific assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk last week, many pundits rushed to praise him for his commitment to free speech.
Ezra Klein at the New York Times claimed that by speaking at universities and inviting liberals to debate him, Kirk was “practicing politics the right way.” Sally Jenkins of The Atlantic insisted that Kirk “argued with civility.” At Jacobin, Ben Burgis and Meagan Day wrote that Kirk “didn’t descend into personal attacks.”
Kirk’s legacy, we are to believe, was one of nonviolence and respect for the first amendment. He taught us, supposedly, how to argue fiercely but civilly and in good faith.
But the Charlie Kirk that Klein and Jenkins and company have invented is not, unfortunately, the real Charlie Kirk. As Elizabeth Spiers explains at The Nation, one of Kirk’s main legacies was a “watchlist” of professors who Kirk and his organization, Turning Point USA, considered too liberal; people on the list often were targeted for smears and death threats. TPUSA also bussed people to the January 6 insurrection, and Kirk was a major proponent of “Stop the Steal” conspiracy theories.
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Among many other horrific statements, Kirk said that stoning LGBT people to death is part of “God’s perfect law,” and that gun deaths are “worth it” to protect the Second Amendment. He also called for President Joe Biden to be executed.
Kirk devoted his career to squashing dissent and attacking democracy. His allies on the right understand that legacy better than liberals praising him as a free speech icon.
From Donald Trump on down, those on the right have not honored Kirk by calling for civility and peaceful debate. They have rushed to use Kirk’s death as an excuse to silence dissent and to terrorize those they perceive as their enemies. Their success is a frightening sign of how far democratic norms have eroded under this president.
Trump calls for political violence (again)
Kirk was assassinated while speaking at Utah Valley University last Wednesday. A suspect, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, was arrested after turning himself in late Thursday.
Robinson’s family appears to be politically conservative, but some who knew Robinson say he had become disenchanted with Trump and Kirk. Messages written on bullet casings at the scene include ironic video game allusions and memes; chat logs suggest Robinson joked about the assassination afterwards with friends. The only safe thing to say at the moment is that Robinson’s exact motivations and ideology remain uncertain.
MAGA, however, is not waiting for the facts.