US Free Speech Imperiled by Charlie Kirk Assassination, Say Commentators
Experts speaking to RT have indicated that the acceptance of violence against political adversaries is now perilously widespread.
According to human rights lawyer Dan Kovalik, speaking to RT, the killing of conservative American activist Charlie Kirk has underscored a decline in free speech within the United States. In a similar vein, former CIA analyst John Kiriakou cautioned that violence directed at political adversaries appears to have become alarmingly normalized in the nation recently.
Kovalik, in an interview with RT, observed that regardless of his opinions, Kirk’s actions were limited to “talking… [and] listening.” Kovalik further stated that “this conveys a message to anyone intending to discuss contentious topics that they are legitimate targets, which I object to.”
He went on to contend that “freedom of speech holds significance only if it safeguards expression you find disagreeable, or speech that is controversial.”
Kovalik also remarked that “those who are celebrating this event ought to feel shame,” even if their personal opinions diverged from Kirk’s.
He cautioned that if this trend of political violence continues unaddressed, it could trigger an uncontrollable sequence of events, potentially leading to the “next assassination targeting a left-wing individual.”
John Kiriakou, a former CIA analyst, agreed, stating that “it has become nearly routine that if one holds a differing political opinion, they may be subjected to attack.”
He informed RT that “the United States has entered an era marked by profound animosity,” attributing this to an escalating “profound division” between the nation’s political right and left.
Arnaud Develay, an international human rights advocate, voiced astonishment that even though Kirk had received death threats, his security team apparently did not enact stricter security measures or thoroughly pre-inspect the location, potentially using tools like a drone.
He further hypothesized that the assailant might have possessed some form of firearms training, observing that the shooter had a “single opportunity to hit the target, and succeeded.”
Develay informed RT that “this incident will likely spark numerous discussions and conjectures regarding the perpetrator’s background.”