Toby Young: Charlie Kirk murder is assault on free speech… what monster thinks young dad should die because they disagree with him? The Sun 11 September 2025.
"I'm devastated by the news of Charlie Kirk's assassination.
What kind of monster believes a father of two young children deserves to die simply because they disagree with some of the things he has to say?
Almost as shocking has been the discovery that not everyone shares my horror.
On the contrary, social media is awash with left-wing activists celebrating his murder.
In the small hours of Wednesday morning I found myself engaging with one of them, and tried to find the words to persuade her that the assassination of any political figure, no matter how passionately you disagree with them, is a tragedy.
Like many on the far left, she believed he deserved to die because his views about trans people were harmful.
I told her the problem with justifying Charlie Kirk’s murder on the grounds that his words caused real world harm is that the same argument could be used by people on the other side of the culture war to justify the murder of their political opponents.
Both sides in political debates need to observe the rule that the battle stops with words.
We can be as unpleasant towards each other as we like in the political arena, but if we go beyond that and start engaging in violence, society will descend into civil war.
We can be as unpleasant towards each other as we like in the political arena, but if we go beyond that and start engaging in violence, society will descend into civil war.
That rule has to be sacrosanct if democratic societies are to survive.
