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Last Wednesday, U.S. political commentator Charlie Kirk was shot and killed while speaking at a university in Utah. The shocking crime, committed in front of hundreds of students and quickly shared to social media, sparked an outpouring of grief and anger among his many fans on the right side of the political spectrum.
For journalists and other experts who have studied the far right’s growing influence for years, Kirk’s assassination was an alarming development. Canadian journalist Rachel Gilmore took to social media to share insights based on years of reporting, writing that she was concerned some fans of Kirk on the far right who are “aching for more violence, could turn this into an even more radicalizing moment. Will they now believe their fears have been proven right and they have a right to ‘retaliate,’ no matter who was behind the actual shooting?”
Conservative MP Andrew Scheer swiftly reposted Gilmore’s comments, saying she was “twisted” and had “so much hate in her.” Other Canadian Conservatives also weighed in or reposted Scheer’s comment, while a screenshot of another post Gilmore made was circulated by right-wing influencers.
Hours later, Gilmore’s name was the first to appear on a website called “Expose Charlie’s Murderers,” part of an effort by right-wing figures to identify people they viewed as having celebrated Kirk’s killing. In many cases, MAGA supporters have called for those people to lose their jobs.
Gilmore then received death and rape threats, including threats that say, “We know where you live.”
As the U.S. tech magazine Wired reported, Gilmore’s initial analysis was accurate: in the hours following the shooting, high-profile figures in the MAGA movement, as well as far-right extremists, posted calls for war or civil war, to punish Democrats for “terrorism,” named “the left” as “the party of murder” and called to restart far-right militias.
Gilmore made a TikTok video further explaining her analysis, backing up her assertions with evidence of how far-right extremists have been becoming bolder and more organized in Canada, and showing how they have repeatedly called for violence against the left — including in reaction to Kirk’s murder. She also states at the start of the video that Kirk’s murder is horrific and wrong, leaving his children without their father.
This is the kind of informed journalism we’ve seen from Gilmore here at The Tyee as we’ve edited her recent columns. While Gilmore is often called an “influencer” by both critics and fans, we want to affirm for anyone who’s confused: Gilmore creates her videos using standard journalistic practices, and she’s currently one of the few journalists in Canada who is an expert on the far right after years of reporting.
Kirk’s murder has, understandably, been emotional and frightening for people who looked up to him and admire his part in popularizing right-wing politics. There’s been an intense and broad push, across the political spectrum, to avoid or shut down comments that criticize Kirk’s retrograde views on civil rights, abortion, women’s place in society and LGBTQ+ issues.
But we’ve crossed a dangerous line when it comes to threats against journalists for doing their jobs. It shouldn’t take an immense amount of bravery to state well-grounded views, and journalists should not have to fear for their lives after speaking up. ![[Tyee]](/design-article.thetyee.ca/ui/img/yellowblob.png){kind=small}
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