Free speech, freedom from violence a concern after Kirk killing

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(The Center Square) – Political activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination at an Utah college on Wednesday has drawn a renewed call for security measures to protect individuals across college campuses and in public forums. The fatal shooting also raises concerns about freedom of speech on campuses and elsewhere.

Kirk, the founder of the nonprofit political organization Turning Point USA, was killed on the first stop in his “American Comeback Tour,” an event where he engaged attendees on political issues.

“Join Charlie Kirk on campus for a lively discussion of Freedom and America! Don’t agree with Charlie? Great, you go to the front of the line,” a TPUSA social media post reads.

The reactions following Kirk’s death have reverberated throughout the nation, with sympathies pouring in from elected officials across the world.

U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., told reporters on Thursday that she does not plan to host any public or outdoor events in the wake of Kirk’s killing.

“I am deeply concerned for my safety,” Mace said. “I don’t care if you are Republican or Democrat – any elected official across the country – if you are vocal, your life is at risk.”

“I will not be doing any outdoor events anytime soon, we will not be doing any public events anytime soon until we have a better handle on greater security controls,” Mace said.

Robert Sibley, special counsel at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, or FIRE, said Kirk’s shooting represented a threat to free speech on college campuses.

“His killing seems deliberately designed to dissuade people from engaging in that kind of open debate,” Sibley said.

Carrie Lukas, president of political advocacy group Independent Women, said Kirk’s shooting highlights a recent trend of political violence and threats to freedom of speech in the United States that makes her concerned.

In June, the Independent Women’s Forum held its “Her Game, Her Legacy” bus tour that focused on transgender participation in sports. Lukas recalled incidents of vandalism and times when her organization’s events have been disturbed by trespassing individuals or protesters.

Victoria Coley, vice president of communications at Independent Women, said these events are becoming common for conservative political groups.

“There tends to always be some level of threat that our security detail has to look into,” Coley said. “That is something that groups who are center or center right are facing.”

Research from the Cato Institute shows politically motivated violence accounted for 3,599 deaths in the United States between 1975 and today. Eighty-three percent of those murdered are attributed to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Lukas said she will be increasing security measures for future events the Independent Women’s Forum hosts in the future. The increased focus on security might alienate some people from hearing her organization’s messages, Lukas said, but she considers the precautionary measures to be more important.

“The reaction to this can’t be that we stop having public events,” Lukas said. “You don’t want to have to create a bunch of barriers to people attending those events. There’s going to be a lot more reticence to have events of this size, because it's going to be a real big concern for everybody moving forward.”

Lukas said a larger conversation on freedom of speech is important to have in the wake of Kirk’s killing.

“We absolutely have to stay committed to the right of terrible people to say terrible things,” Lukas said. “But we have to have a very clear understanding of what is no longer protest and what is no longer a part of speech.”

Free speech on college campuses, like where Kirk was, remains a contentious issue in the aftermath of mass protests across the country over the Israel-Hamas war.

Students held encampments in public spaces, barricaded libraries and vandalized buildings on colleges. Lukas said this violence, barricading and destroying of property crosses the line of free speech.

“Your right to free speech stops well before you are ruining public spaces for others,” Lukas said. “We can’t indulge and excuse all bad behavior under the name of peaceful protest.”

In an apparent crackdown on protest behavior, around 80 students at Columbia University were reportedly expelled or arrested.

“Disruptions to academic activities are in violation of University policies and Rules, and such violations will necessarily generate consequences,” the university wrote in a May statement.

The university also made a deal with the Trump administration to withhold pulling of federal funds in response to its handling of last year’s protests and treatment of Jewish students on campus.

Sibley said he expects college campuses to be more proactive in allowing students to express political views and hosting events like Kirk’s in the future.

“Colleges and universities have spent a lot of time and effort over the last 30 years telling students about the value of tolerating people with different identities,” Sibley said. “It's time to put that level of effort into explaining why it is so important to be willing to listen to and engage with people who have viewpoints you find objectionable rather than finding some way to silence them.”

“Campuses need to do everything they can to make it possible for people like Charlie Kirk to continue to come to campus and engage with others, and should dedicate whatever resources are necessary to make that possible. Murderers must not get a veto over who may speak on our nation's campuses,” Sibley added.