Through the Static

By Hannah Saunders

Through the Static (TtS) did not plan to speak out about Charlie Kirk’s assassination. But as an antifascist news website, we will not stay silent as others cower.

We are not only disappointed but also disgusted by the number of people in positions of power and influence who have issued statements providing thoughts and prayers to a white supremacist, while neglecting to acknowledge the harm he has perpetrated against marginalized communities.

Experiencing gun violence is traumatic, and we wish people who were at Utah Valley University that day a swift recovery.

But we do not feel sorry for Kirk, nor will we be shamed about our feelings or response. Kirk’s speeches and talking points were detrimental to particularly Black and Queer communities, and women. And he died for what he believed in: the right to bear arms.

Kirk was not a stand-up guy.

His influence on MAGA and connections to other extremists allowed him to rally and transport people to storm the Capitol on January 6, playing a key role in the insurrection.

And Kirk, who was close with Trump and his administration, was just another talking head for the dictator.

But what about his family?

Growing up without a parent is tragic, and we acknowledge how his two children will suffer in certain aspects as a result. But it is our belief that his children, like the rest of the world, are better off without him.

Kirk said he would force his daughter, who is three years old, to carry a baby to term and give birth if she were raped.

In a country where gun violence is the leading cause of death in children, the shooting of their father could lead his two children to become advocates for gun violence reduction, rather than promotion. But we simply don’t know.

Let’s cut through the static: one dead fascist brings us one step closer to a peaceful world.

As mainstream media, corporations, elected officials, celebrities, and more provide remarks about Kirk’s assassination, TtS wants to bring attention to who Kirk truly was and what he stood for – which many others refuse to address.

Kirk said stoning Gay people to death was “God’s perfect law when it comes to sexual matters” in 2024.

In 2023, he said, “I think it’s worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year, so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other god-given rights. That is a prudent deal.”

Just last month, he said that “it should be legal to burn a rainbow or [Black Lives Matter] flag in public.”

He also said “We should work to overturn every conviction for those arrested, fined, or otherwise harassed for the ‘hate crime’ of doing donuts over Pride flags painted on public streets.”

“We need to have a Nuremberg-style trial for every gender-affirming clinic doctor,” Kirk has also said.

Kirk has referred to the LGBTQIA+ community as the “alphabet mafia.”

He advocated for violence against the Trans community by saying people should have “just took care of” them “the way we used to take care of things in the 1950s and 60s.” During these decades, Trans people were violently assaulted (sometimes to the point of death) and were institutionalized, lobotomized, and more.

Kirk called George Floyd, a Black man who was murdered by Minneapolis Police, a “scumbag” who wasn’t worthy of attention.

Kirk said Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was “not a good person,” and “awful.”

“We made a huge mistake when we passed the Civil Rights Act in the 1960s,” Kirk said.

“If I see a Black pilot, I’m going to be like, ‘Boy, I hope he’ qualified’,” Kirk said.

TtS will never turn its back on marginalized communities. We will never cower spinelessly for bigots who promote violence. And we will not feel sorry or ashamed about where we stand.

And for all of those who have issued statements about Kirk yet remain silent when it comes to school shootings or the genociding of Palestinians, we have just one question:

Why is gun violence wrong only when it pertains to privileged white men?