Three days have passed since Charlie Kirk was assassinated in Utah, and I am writing this still in a state of absolute horror. Not just horror at the fact of his death as a husband, father, man of faith was struck down but horror at the grotesque reaction it provoked. Across social media, there has been an unfathomable display of glee from the Left. People felt so comfortable, so emboldened, that they openly celebrated the death of a man who was not a politician, who wielded no office, but who dared to speak his convictions. The normalisation of celebrating political violence has never been clearer.
What happened to Charlie Kirk was not an isolated act. It was the culmination of decades of leftist hatred, rhetoric, and violence, none of which has ever faced true consequences. The same voices now offering hollow, shallow condolences spent years branding conservatives as ‘Nazis’, ‘fascists’, and ‘dictators’. Words have consequences. Repeat the lie often enough, and eventually, the unhinged come to believe that violence is righteous. Kirk became their ultimate target precisely because he was effective, because he was winning arguments in the open, where democracy is meant to live.
Charlie Kirk’s murder must be understood for what it is: an attack on the very heart of Western Civilisation. He did what one is supposed to do in a free society. He went out, he debated, he persuaded. He had no power beyond what every citizen has, and yet his skill in exercising his democratic rights made him too dangerous for his enemies. He was not a politician so they could not beat him with ballots, so they stopped him with a bullet.
The grief is deep and personal. For the very first time in my life, I found myself weeping for someone I had never met, someone I did not personally know. I cried for Charlie Kirk, for his family, and for his nation. A man of God, a husband, and a father of two children who will now face life without his guiding hand. His wife must now bear the burden alone, raising their children who will never again feel their father’s hand on their shoulder at life’s milestones. His death was not only the silencing of a powerful voice, but the theft of a father, a husband, and an unapologetically patriotic man.
But beyond grief lies the lesson. For decades, the Left has rewarded political violence with power. Rioters were excused, conservatives vilified, and those who dared speak truth branded as monsters. That culture has consequences. If you treat your opponents as less than human, sooner or later, someone will act as though they are less than human. Charlie Kirk’s assassination is the bloody proof.
And Australians must not think themselves immune. The same rhetoric is festering here. Already, conservatives in this country are routinely mocked, dehumanised, and stripped of dignity in political and cultural debates. The same poisonous language that turned into violence in America is taking root in Australia. If the West tolerates hate as normal, violence will follow.
But let us be clear: this is not a time to retreat. On the day one Charlie Kirk fell, thousands more must rise. His life was proof that truth and conviction can move nations. His death is proof of how deeply the enemies of freedom fear such men. If the Left wanted to silence him, they have failed. His voice will echo louder through those who take up his cause.
And let us also remember this is not only a Christian fight. Once the enemies of Christianity have finished silencing the faithful, they will turn on all who resist their ideology. Every Westerner has a stake in this battle.
Charlie Kirk’s death has revealed both the sickness of the Left’s culture and the urgency of the conservative mission. He was murdered for refusing to stay silent. The best way to honour him is to ensure that silence never wins.
Ky Wilson is an Australian executive, multi-award-winning marketer and author. She is passionate about culture and the defence of Western values.
