Escalation of political violence is keeping good people out of politics, says former Liberal MP after Charlie Kirk shot dead in Utah

The controversial Republican personality and ally of U.S. President Donald Trump was shot dead at a university speaking event on Sept. 10 in Utah. Amarnath Amarasingam, an expert in radicalization and extremism, says the death of a public figure can spark 'a spiral of tit-for-tat violence that will tear at the fabric of society.'

U.S. President Donald Trump, left, fist-bumps Charlie Kirk at Turning Point Action's 'Rally to Protect Our Elections' in 2021. Following Kirk's murder on Sept. 10, Trump called the right-wing commentator a 'martyr for truth and freedom.'Photograph by Gage Skidmore and courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

News

BY STUART BENSON, MARLO GLASS

September 11, 2025

UPDATED September 12, 2025

A former Liberal MP who left politics after being subjected to misogynistic attacks says the brazen shooting death of American conservative commentator Charlie Kirk shows an “escalation of political violence” in the public sphere.

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