Polarising agendas and political violence

America’s long-standing problem with gun laws — Kirk was a passionate advocate for easing said laws — created an enabling atmosphere where violence prevails

Just as young people in Nepal and Indonesia are reshaping the politics of their countries, a young, charismatic champion of ultra-conservative values and mobiliser of American youth was shot while he was about to address students on a university campus in Utah. US President Donald Trump described the murder of Charlie Kirk, 31, as an “assassination” and claimed the “radical Left” contributed to the killing. Trump’s statement is significant for its political nature and shines a light on the polarisation in US politics, which may well have contributed to the attack on the Right-wing activist. Kirk, an exemplar of the inward-looking and xenophobic politics characteristic of Trump 2.0, was touring university campuses, speaking against racial and sexual minorities, castigating migrants and liberal views, and urging students to report on faculty members who supported Marxism and gender politics.

Kirk’s murder confirms a disturbing trend in US politics, where physical attacks on political opponents are becoming frequent. (AFP)

Kirk’s murder confirms a disturbing trend in US politics, where physical attacks on political opponents are becoming frequent. There were two attempts on Trump last year while he was the Republican nominee for president. Two Minnesota legislators belonging to the Democratic Party and their spouses were shot dead in June. There have been reports of attacks on migrants as well as mass shootings in public places. This may also be the outcome of parties and leaders adopting polarising agendas and justifying political violence. The storming of Capitol Hill in January 2021, soon after the election of Joe Biden as President, and the subsequent condoning of the stormtroopers may have given the signal that mob violence for partisan gains is kosher under the new regime. Add to all this America’s long-standing problem with gun laws — Kirk, ironically, was a passionate advocate for easing gun control laws — an enabling atmosphere for violence has come to prevail. Trump’s America will need to confront this reality as it mourns Kirk’s death.