Charlie Kirk murder: Europe stunned by political violence in the U.S.

The assassination of right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk’s at a Utah university event has reverberated through Europe, where leaders linked the attack to a broader surge of political violence threatening democracies in both the United States and the EU.

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola condemned it as “absolutely horrific,” while UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer stressed that “we must be free to debate openly and freely without fear – there can be no justification for political violence.”

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni described the killing as a “deep wound for democracy and for those who believe in freedom.”

British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said she was “deeply shocked,” while Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch described the murder as “a blow to everything Western civilization stands for: open discourse, robust debate and peaceful dissent.”

Far-right Reform UK leader Nigel Farage posted a black-and-white photograph of himself with Kirk, along with the message: “this is a very dark day for American democracy.”

Kirk, a close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump and founder of the conservative student group Turning Point USA, was addressing an outdoor crowd of about 3,000 at Utah Valley University when a gunshot rang out.

He was widely seen as a pioneer of the conservative youth movement, harnessing social media to attract millions of young Americans into Trump’s MAGA base.

US authorities had not publicly identified a suspect by Wednesday evening. FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that an unnamed “subject” had been detained for questioning and later released.

The killing of Charlie Kirk comes as Europe is still reeling from its own recent case of political violence: the attempted assassination of Slovak PM Robert Fico on 15 May 2024. Fico was gravely wounded in a shooting while greeting citizens in the town of Handlová, an attack that shocked the continent. He has recovered since.

The surge of political violence is raising concerns in Europe about potential spillover effects on the EU’s own political landscape. Europe is not immune to the ripple effects of the US discourse. Violent events in the U.S. often resonate through global media and social networks, shaping the tone of debate in Europe as well.

Surge in political violence

In the first six months of the year, the U.S. experienced about 150 politically motivated attacks – nearly double the number recorded over the same period last year, Reuters reported.

Experts in domestic terrorism point to a convergence of factors fuelling violence in the U.S.: economic insecurity, demographic anxieties, and the increasingly inflammatory tone of political discourse.

Traditional ideological divides, once centered on policy disagreements, have morphed into deeper, more personal animosity, amplified by social media, conspiracy theories and personal grievances.

Reuters identified at least 300 incidents of political violence across the U.S. between the 6 January 2021 Capitol attack and the 2024 presidential elections which is the most significant and sustained surge in such violence since the 1970s.

A vicious spiral

Trump himself survived two assassination attempts last year. In the first case, the shooter was killed seconds after opening fire. In the other, a man carrying a rifle and scope was arrested near a Palm Beach golf club where Trump was playing; his trial began this week.

Meanwhile, two high-profile attacks by right-wing conspiracy theorists this year shook lawmakers and officials across the country. In June, a Christian nationalist murdered a senior Democratic state legislator and her husband in Minnesota, wounding another Democrat. In August, a gunman obsessed with COVID-19 conspiracies opened fire at the CDC headquarters in Atlanta, killing a police officer.

Since January, at least 21 people have been killed in political violence incidents – 14 of them in a jihadist attack in New Orleans on New Year’s Day. Other deadly cases include a pro-Palestinian activist murdering two Israeli embassy employees in Washington in May, and an armed assault on a Texas immigration detention center in July by a group of 11 militants in military-style clothing.

Since returning to office, Trump has scaled back efforts to counter domestic extremism, redirecting resources toward immigration enforcement and citing the southern border as the country’s top security threat.

Caption: Founder and President of Turning Point Action, Charlie Kirk, speaks before an address by former US President Donald Trump at the organization`s `Believers Summit` in West Palm Beach, Florida, USA, 26 July 2024. EPA/CRISTOBAL HERRERA-ULASHKEVICH