“We cannot let violence prevail. We can and must come together in defense of our rights to be who we are and to speak our minds.”
– FIRE Executive Vice President Nico Perrino, on Charlie Kirk’s assassination
Charlie Kirk assassinated during speaking event
The conservative activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated on Wednesday while speaking at an outdoor event with around 3,000 people at Utah Valley University during part of his “American Comeback Tour.”
“America must be an open society where this sort of debate can take place,” said Nico Perrino, “where we feel safe to share our ideas in the public square, not just from behind bulletproof glass and bulletproof vests.”
We’re in the cancel culture phase of the tragedy cycle
Adam Goldstein, FIRE’s vice president of strategic initiatives, warns that in the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, society is once again falling into the trap of punishing speech it finds offensive instead of defending free expression.
He argues that both mob outrage and political pressure create a culture of fear that undermines American values.
“Cancel culture ends,” Goldstein writes, “when we decide that people can be horrifically wrong and still entitled to the grace that enables us all to grow from our worst moments.”
Also in the news
Alex Jones is petitioning the Supreme Court to hear an appeal of a $1.4 billion defamation judgment over his false claim that Sandy Hook was a hoax, arguing the ruling violates his First Amendment rights.
Trump threatens to sue The New York Times over reporting on Epstein drawing.
This week’s datapoint
Student support for using violence to stop a speaker is increasing over time, across all ideologies. Over the past five years alone, it’s gone up almost 80%.
