Political Violence Is Wrong. Charlie Kirk Didn’t Think So.

The murder of Charlie Kirk was a moral travesty. We can recognize that without ignoring that he repeatedly fanned the flames of political violence himself.

It should be a basic, universally agreed-upon principle that people shouldn’t be killed because of the things they say or believe in. That’s not just because it’s morally wrong but also because it’s socially corrosive, contrary to the continued existence of a free society, and only fuels cycles of violence and recrimination; because the real political work that creates lasting, transformational change — organizing, persuasion, debate, criticism, and so on — is impossible if someone can be marked for death simply because a person who disagrees with them can get their hands on a gun.

The only way the concept of free speech works in prac