Opinion by Roger-Luc Chayer (Photo : RTL)
Charlie Kirk assassinated, mystery surrounds the murder
Charlie Kirk, a young MAGA figure highly visible in the United States — but rest assured, completely unknown elsewhere — was assassinated yesterday afternoon. It is still unclear by whom or why.
Important note: there is obviously no intention here to glorify murder, regardless of the person, their political opinions, beliefs, or the consequences those may have had on society.
Charlie Kirk, a noisy figure of American conservatism
When I wrote in my headline “A cheeky troublemaker leaves us!”, it was solely because he perfectly embodied that role of a troublemaker in public life. The hatred he provoked may have eventually turned against him, but it must be repeated: we have no information about the perpetrator or their motivations.
But Charlie Kirk is gone, and America is left with a void where his loquacious presence once stood. Gone prematurely — or too late, some might say — the prodigy of the American right built his legend on a missing degree and overflowing certainties. He will be remembered as a man who turned campus fear into a business and outrage into a marketable commodity, much like others sell smoothies, but far less digestible.
The self-proclaimed campus ideologue
In the grand tradition of self-proclaimed prophets, Kirk spent his life denouncing elites he secretly dreamed of joining and professors whose classes he never attended. His speeches, often longer than his arguments, now resonate as the remnants of a one-man ideological show whose laughter never arrived. His followers will still applaud him, his opponents will breathe easier, and university libraries will continue to sleep peacefully, free from his suspicious gaze.
Charlie Kirk’s political views
Charlie Kirk advocated a conservatism deeply marked by Trumpism, a mix of Christian nationalism, rejection of campus “wokeness,” climate skepticism, and hostility to reproductive and LGBTQ+ rights. His stance was primarily based on the idea of an America under siege by elites that needed to be “saved” by remaining loyal to Donald Trump and traditional values.
Why Charlie Kirk was anti-LGBT
Charlie Kirk was anti-LGBT out of ideological and religious conviction. He embraced a Christian conservative worldview that considers heterosexuality and the traditional family as the social and moral norm. To him, the rights and visibility of LGBTQ+ people represented a cultural threat, a sign of America’s “decline” and erosion of its values.
How he expressed hostility toward LGBTQ+ people
Charlie Kirk repeatedly expressed his hostility in speeches, media appearances, and events organized by Turning Point USA. He condemned the display of rainbow flags in schools, claimed that trans rights threatened children, and accused the LGBTQ+ movement of imposing an ideology on young people.
He firmly opposed same-sex marriage and any recognition of trans identities in public policy. Very active on social media, he often used an alarmist tone, speaking of “indoctrination,” “moral corruption,” or “family destruction,” further reinforcing his image as a conservative activist among the Trumpist base.
Charlie Kirk’s legacy
Charlie Kirk leaves behind a prosperous foundation, millions of views, and the invention of a unique role: a conservative influencer with no formal degree, yet convinced he knew everything. History is rarely written with tweets, but at least he tried.