Charlie Kirk, Requiescat in Pace

I went to bed last night with a heart weighed by grief, learning of Charlie Kirk’s death (1993-2005). This was a man who lived his life trying to build a bridge between the “right” and the “left” through dialogue. He sat behind a mic and conversed with anybody who wanted to engage. He never silenced opposers of his arguments. Rather, he invited them to voice their opinions on a platform for millions to hear. I went to bed last night knowing that a good man, a father of two, a husband, and a free speech advocate died on a stage surrounded by a crowd that was made up of people who both loved him and hated him for the exact same reason: he spoke his mind, with intention and without apology.

As tragic as this event is, it is also not surprising. We are experiencing a global escalation of violence against the right and Christian values. Just a few months ago we witnessed another attempted assassination of President Donald J Trump. At the same time, laws were introduced in the UK that can put people in jail for social-media posts, while protestors in favour of terrorist groups such as Hamas march freely through the streets, wearing banners and flags in support of genocide, and the mainstream media feigns shock in their begrudging reports on the rise of antisemitic attacks.

This aggression from the “Tolerant Left” has been an ongoing reality in the lives of most conservatives who still choose to have a foot (or a mouth) in the door of dialogue. Ten years ago, when I was studying the social sciences at one of the UK’s oldest, most prestigious universities I was repeatedly shunned, silenced, and shut out: disciplinary meetings for using the word “race” in an essay; being called names in seminars only to have lecturers support the aggressor; and being scared of writing about certain topics at the risk of not graduating. I was a member of societies that were pushed to the fringes and forced to operate out of pubs and people’s houses rather than having the right to hold meetings at the union or the colleges. A former member of parliament invited to speak about free market economies was cancelled on short notice, with active protests outside the venue, because some thought his views were controversial. Men’s rights issues were pushed aside whilst feminist groups and speakers were championed within the campus. I had a fellow member of my college have a shoe thrown at his head while asking for mutual respect and decorum.

I saw the gradual escalation of violence and intolerance from the left on campus during my time there, and this has now culminated in the assassination of an innocent man. This exacerbation of antisocial behaviour is a consequence of the moral complacency of the moderates on the right as well as the connivance of those in positions of power on the left. What the left calls progressive is what I see as a progression of violence, hatred, intolerance, and an inexcusable lack of human decency. There is an ongoing persecution of free speech, and attempts to annihilate Judaeo-Christian values and those who try to uphold them.

In memory of everything that Charlie Kirk stood for, I end with a reminder of what was said in Matthew 5:10, “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Rest in Peace, Charlie Kirk. Your death was an inexcusable act of selfish violence and serves as a turning point on this new western crusade against woke ideology.