LUCY COX, Editor in Chief:
On Wednesday, September 10th, I was sitting in a cafe studying when my phone started blowing up with news notifications. I turned it over so the screen faced down– I was too focused on my work, and as someone who is subscribed to many, many news outlets, a barrage of notifications is nothing new. It wasn’t until my group chat with my summer co-interns started blowing up that I realized something was wrong. I stared at the messages in disbelief…
Charlie Kirk had been shot.
His condition was unclear at first, and I hoped and prayed it was a near miss, like what had happened to President Trump in the summer of 2024. Then, I saw the video. I pressed play on a video someone had sent me of Mr. Kirk, and didn’t think I would see anything too graphic, as it had been posted to social media. I watched innocently until the shot rang out. I will not describe the video any further, as it was far too graphic for anyone to see, but as I watched, I gasped in horror. Everyone sitting around me in the cafe turned their head towards my reaction. I knew he had little chance of survival, but I hoped and prayed for a miracle.
Around 20 minutes later, while I was tabling on Sproul for this very organization, that miracle failed to come. The most influential leader of the conservative movement, a hugely successful nonprofit founder, father of two young children, husband, and omnipresent fixture of the Gen Z college experience, had been assassinated. My mind was racing with outrage, fear, distress, and sadness. I sat there on Sproul, unable to focus as I was so overwhelmed with sadness for his family, horrified at the violent actions taken against him, and terrified for the version of the country that allowed this to happen.
Then, the social media mayhem and disparaging comments started rolling in. While I exhibited very human empathy towards this very public murder of an influential figure in American life, I felt very alone. Social media was flooded with ghoulish messages justifying the attack and tearing down Kirk. Many people I tried to talk to about it dismissed the conversation and made me feel like I was overreacting.
As a political science student, I expected every single one of my professors to open up a conversation around the traumatic events that just occurred and make an outright objection to political violence. However, in the four classes (all political science or political economy) I’ve had since the killing, only one professor even acknowledged what happened, but failed to condemn it.
In the days since, I have been incredibly worried about our country, and especially the reactions to the assassination. At UC Berkeley, it feels like people are either trying to sweep the issue under the rug or even justify it. The attack on Kirk was so much more than the assassination of one political figure. It was an attack on democratic ideals. Kirk was murdered while engaging in good-faith debate and exercising his First Amendment rights to speak freely while empowering the First Amendment rights of those who disagreed with him. The individual who killed him had anti-fascist messages engraved on the bullet casings used to kill him. However, I can’t think of anything more anti-fascist than doing what Kirk did– handing a microphone to those who disagree with you. Likewise, I can’t think of anything more fascist than silencing those who disagree with you, forever.
Journalists everywhere rely on the power to not only print our free thoughts in the press, but we also rely on others exercising their First Amendment rights so we can uncover the truth of the stories we pursue. The attack on Kirk is an attack on us and everyone who wants to live in a democratic society where everyone has the right to speak freely, not just the people we agree with.
Political violence against anyone is wrong, and we as students must commit to stopping this radicalism going forward. We mourn the loss of Kirk. We mourn the loss of Minnesota State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband. We condemn the assassination attempts on President Trump and Justice Kavanaugh, and the attacks on Paul Pelosi and Governor Josh Shapiro, and so many more attacks against American political figures. The very public murder of Kirk was meant to scare us into silence, but we cannot let the murderer win. We must continue to provide open, empathetic discussion because our country cannot move forward if we are indifferent or even celebrate violence against those we disagree with.
May our generation not only lead with passion for the many issues plaguing our society, but also, in this turning point for American political discourse, may we choose empathy and conversation, not hate and division. In one of his many sit-down debates with students, Kirk once warned that the moment we stop talking with those we disagree with is the moment that the violence starts. So, I urge our generation to not only pick up the mic, but to pass it on. Pass the mic to someone you disagree with. Start up hard conversations. Ask questions to understand why people reach the conclusions they do, and be curious about the backgrounds of those who think differently from you. And while you may not reach agreement, agreement isn’t the goal in this marketplace of ideas– understanding is.
09/16/2025
Statistically speaking, hate and hate crimes definitely come more from the right. Though no one should be killed for making controversial political statements, Kirk definitely acted carelessly. He spoke about controversial topics such as gun rights in the aftermath of school shootings which many felt demonstrated an inflammatory and insensitive tone toward the loved ones of fallen victims.
Very interesting subject , thanks for posting.