Charlie Kirk and the distorted perception of political violence

By Sherley De Deurwaerder, Misch Pautsch Switch to German for original article

While hundreds of activists and political figures are killed worldwide every year without attracting much attention, individual cases - especially in the USA - dominate public perception. In our "Why is everyone talking about...?" format, we explore why this is the case and what it has to do with the politics of attention.

On 10 September 2025, a shot was fired on the campus of Utah Valley University. Beforehand, a student asked: "Do you know how many transgender Americans have run amok in the last ten years?" The man on stage replied simply: "Too many." This was followed by a follow-up: "With or without gang crime?" Then a bang ripped through the air – and with it the rift in US society widened.

The target was Charlie Kirk, a close ally of Donald Trump, conservative activist, podcaster, author and probably one of the best-known voices of the American right, who founded the right-wing student organisation Turning Point USA around 13 years ago. With this organisation, he organised lectures, panel discussions and events in schools and universities. Kirk stood for gun rights and strict immigration controls, against progressive cultural and social policies, abortion and civil rights legislation. From a strategic point of view, Turning Point USA is of crucial relevance, as it is about recruiting new blood for conservative politics and polarising the "radical left".

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