By Gurnam Singh | Opinion |
Voltaire, the eighteenth-century philosopher, is often associated with the defence of free speech through the famous line: “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” Though not his exact words, the phrase captures the essence of his writings on liberty and tolerance. For Voltaire, the measure of a civilised society lay not in silencing voices we dislike, but in upholding the principle that even our fiercest opponents must be free to speak without fear of persecution or violence.
It is through this lens that we must confront the tragic assassination of the American right-wing political activist, author, and media personality Charlie Kirk, co-founder of the conservative organisation Turning Point USA. Kirk was killed while addressing an audience at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on 10 September 2025, by a single gunshot to the neck.
This cruel and horrendous act of violence must be condemned without equivocation. More than the death of one individual, it represents a wounding of democracy and a further erosion of our claim to be a civilised species. When political violence becomes a means of settling disputes, society descends into barbarism.
Kirk’s record, however, is no secret. He promoted racist ideas such as the so-called “Great Replacement” theory, argued that immigration was designed to diminish white demographics, and rejected the concept of white privilege. He spun racist tropes about Black men as predators, circulated antisemitic theories about “Jewish money,” and was deeply insulting to gay people.
These were not simply controversial positions. They were cruel, dehumanising, and served to legitimise violence. They gave cover to those who thrive on division and hatred. Yet even so, his murder is not the answer. To kill Kirk is not to silence his ideology but to reinforce the very cycles of extremism and hate that feed upon violence.
At the same time, this assassination cannot be viewed in isolation. It must be understood within a wider political culture in which violence has become normalised. Donald Trump and his right-wing allies have not only encouraged extremism but openly sanctioned it, be it through the storming of the Capitol or the tacit endorsement of genocidal violence against civilians in Gaza. In such an environment, the line between words and deeds becomes dangerously blurred.
Kirk’s assassination is therefore less an aberration than a symptom of a deeper crisis: the erosion of democracy, truth, and tolerance. To defend free speech, as Voltaire urged, is not to defend hateful ideas themselves but to safeguard the principle that words, however odious, must not be met with bullets.
Kirk’s death must be recognised both as a personal tragedy and as a wider indictment of a political culture that trades in hatred and violence. If we fail to learn from this moment, we risk losing not only democracy but also our very claim to be a civilised humanity.
Gurnam Singh is an academic activist dedicated to human rights, liberty, equality, social and environmental justice. He is an Associate Professor of Sociology at University of Warwick, UK. He can be contacted at Gurnam.singh.1@warwick.ac.uk
* This is the opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of Asia Samachar.
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