The shooting of the American right-wing activist Charlie Kirk caused waves online following his death in Utah on the 10th of September 2025. Whilst attending an event at Utah Valley University, the podcast commentator and known influential ally of US President Donald Trump, was addressing a crowd of around 3,000 people when he was shot in the neck, moments after being questioned on his pro-gun stance and gun violence in America. Witness reports from those at the rally, as well as footage, placed the shooter on a nearby roof on the campus.
The following day, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson was arrested as a suspect and placed into custody without bail. His attorney requested more time to review the evidence in the case before deciding whether his defence team will seek a preliminary hearing, which would determine if there were enough evidence against Robinson to face trial. He stands charged by Utah prosecutors with aggravated murder, who have stated plans to seek the death penalty if Robinson is found guilty.
The next hearing is set for the 30th of October. The death of Kirk elicited strong reactions online, with the political legacy that he has left behind a highly controversial topic. Known as a conservative and proud Christian activist, Charlie Kirk has an estimated $12 million net worth through his work with Turning Point USA - a youth-focused MAGA nonprofit - his real estate investments and the media and publishing of his show and multiple books at the time of his death.
Through this, Kirk created a strong platform to represent the rise of far-right politics in America, where, through his use of platforms such as YouTube, TikTok and Facebook, he used conversational statements to gain views and build an audience. Several left-wing influencers, including 21-year-old Dean Withers, known for his posts focused on current politics and famous debates with conservatives, including Kirk himself, have condemned gun violence following Kirk’s assassination. Wither’s post discussing the shooting described the act of violence, as well as similar incidents, as “disgusting, always vile and always abhorrent.” Many comments were made in the wake of Kirk’s death to stress that, regardless of his controversial viewpoints, the act of violence as seen on the 10th of September is not justifiable and that gun violence in America needs strong regulations to avoid scenarios such as this from occurring.
Tilly Middlehurst, a University of Cambridge student whose debate with Kirk went viral, issued an online statement that decreed that “political violence like this affects all of us... This isn’t a step in the right direction. This isn’t fighting fascism.
This is not what politics should look like.” How is his death affecting the UK? His shooting has become a focus point in the continuous debate in Britain regarding free speech. On the 21st of September, US President Donald Trump recognised Kirk as the “greatest evangelist for American liberty” and called him a “martyr for American freedom,” and this sentiment has been echoed by UK-based far-right activist Tommy Robinson, who used Kirk’s legacy to help mobilise his “United the Kingdom march.” According to police, his rally saw twenty-six police officers injured as up to 150,000 people marched through the centre of London to protest their right to free speech, with the most common chants variations of “we want our country back.” However, this seems to mean contrasting things to those in attendance, with some participants there to protest illegal migration, some against migration in general, sharing the sentiment to “send them back”, and some attended simply to show their nationalist pride and belief in the right of free speech.