PU 2: The Assassination of Charlie Kirk
Conservative influencer Charlie Kirk was murdered in Utah last week while debating his political opponents on a university campus – what the reactions to his death mean for our society at large
Charlie Kirk debating with his audience, minutes before he was murdered (Trent Nelson, The Salt Lake Tribune)
In the second episode of PUNCHING UPWARDS, I want to talk about the assassination of Charlie Kirk that occurred last week at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah in the US.
Charlie Kirk was a controversial character. He was a conservative influencer, credited by the Republicans with having won Trump the youth vote in 2024. Because of this, and because of some of his views, Kirk was strongly opposed by many left-wing politicians.
Kirk was known for going into, what to him must have been enemy territory, to debate his political opponents on university campuses across the United States. He was a steadfast advocate for everyone’s freedom of speech and for this, he was murdered.
I analyse his murder and the public reaction to it. What does this mean for the future of political discourse in the US and all over the world? How is this political murder being further politicised and what agendas are pushed in reaction to it?
Sources:
- FOX 10 Phoenix – Charlie Kirk dies after being shot at Utah Valley University
- Charlie Kirk Gets Challenged to a Fist Fight, Things Get Wild
The theme music for the podcast is a track called Fight or Fall by Def Lev. Find out more about the show at fab.industries/podcast — new media, new rules!