The brutal assassination of far-right activist Charlie Kirk is another tragic entry into a growing list of political violence that we and our country are experiencing. In recent months, we’ve seen a state representative in Minnesota murdered, the governor of Pennsylvania’s official home burned, a vicious attack on former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband, and two attempts on President Trump’s life, among too many other incidents.
This violence is to be unequivocally condemned. There is no place for it – ever, and murder should never be the consequence of a person speaking their mind. And as celebrations are not the appropriate response to violence, there is also no place for the calls for retribution and more violence that have followed in the wake of Kirk’s death.
Many of these frightening calls are coming from prominent political figures, people with power and influence, including President Trump, who should be bringing the country together, and instead, have chosen to further tear it apart.
At GPAHE, we have documented these calls for violence and retaliation, coming from white supremacists, neo-Nazis, and some who hold high office.
Christian nationalists, a movement Kirk was a part of, and the foundation of Project 2025, have also made calls for a “holy war” against the left, using the “martyrdom” of Kirk as a rallying cry.
Trump has threatened “the left” with retaliation and government investigations. Trump advisor and extremist Stephen Miller has also issued threats and promised to go after the left, progressive NGOs like GPAHE, Democrats, and others, saying “With God as my witness, we are going to use every resource we have at the Department of Justice, Homeland Security and throughout this government to identify, disrupt, eliminate and destroy this network and make America safe again for the American people.”
Hate and extremism are not abstract dangers; they have very real consequences and directly undermine our freedoms, safety, and trust in democracy. Today’s rhetoric is not simply words—it is a recruitment tool, a mobilization strategy, and a powerful authoritarian weapon.
Far-right influencer Matt Walsh posted: “This was left wing LGBT terrorism. There was never much doubt. Now there is none at all. All left wing terror networks must be crushed. All of the terrorists and their helpers and funders must be arrested, prosecuted, and put to death.”
These words and threats provide validation for violent groups like the Proud Boys and neo-Nazi “Active Clubs” that weaponize political violence to recruit young people and expand their reach. This interplay between elite figures and militant groups is deeply concerning: it demonstrates how rhetoric becomes action, and how political violence is normalized as part of a broader strategy to erode democratic norms and consolidate authoritarian power, especially in light of elections next year which are sure to be contentious.
A Proud Boys “meme” group posted “are we still standing back and standing by Trump?,” This is a reference to Trump’s comment in a 2020 debate, “Stand Back and Stand By,” which the Proud Boys took as an endorsement, and later stormed the Capitol on January 6.
Tech companies, too, hold significant responsibility here. They knowingly allow their platforms to amplify hateful rhetoric, conspiracy theories, and violent calls to action, often prioritizing user engagement and profit over public safety. As GPAHE has documented across numerous contexts, extremists exploit these systems to recruit, radicalize, and mobilize young people. It is imperative these companies enforce meaningful safeguards and abandon the algorithms and monetization models that fuel the dangerous speech that too often leads to violence.
We cannot allow this trajectory to continue.
GPAHE calls on our political leaders, civil society, and technology platforms to act decisively against the forces driving us toward greater polarization, political violence, and authoritarianism. Unless these trends are urgently reversed, this nation will certainly see more violence and our freedoms will be at further risk, as democratic norms are eroded and the authoritarian drift already underway in the United States and beyond accelerates.
