This article was originally published in The Herald Sun on or about 19 September 2025 and was written by the author in their capacity as a contributor for that publication.
It has been republished on the IPA website with permission. The views expressed are those of the author alone.
Late-night US television host Jimmy Kimmel said, in relation to last week’s assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk: “We hit some new lows over the weekend with the MAGA gang trying to characterise this kid who killed Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them.”
Talk about hitting a “new low”. After years of Kimmel slandering Trump and his supporters in the vilest of terms, he doubled down to blame Trump supporters for the assassination of a Trump supporter. Unsurprisingly, ABC pulled the show from the air.
Some have sought to selectively defend Kimmel’s statement as freedom of speech. But let’s not forget about how we got to this situation.
For decades, social progressives have set the parameters of acceptable public debate. “Cancel culture” has been ruthlessly employed to punish anyone deviating from woke dogma.
As justification, its leaders spread the idea objectionable speech causes “harm”. If speech is harmful, then causing harm in return is legitimate.
Now a significant number on the Left endorses political violence. A recent poll by Rutgers University in April showed 55 per cent of Americans who identify on the Left believe assassinating Trump would be “at least somewhat justified”.
It should not be forgotten that Kirk was murdered engaging in open public debate with those he disagreed with in a respectful way. He embodied freedom of speech, and he died for it.
A parade of progressives has sought to downplay the despicable act because of the views Kirk expressed – views that his critics had presumably assumed but never seen or heard.
Here in Australia prominent podcaster Abbie Chatfield was quick to say she hated Kirk and lamented that his death was because of “right-wing views on gun control”.
Hannah Ferguson of Cheek Media said: “Is political violence sometimes necessary? Yes.”.
And an editor at left-leaning media publication Crikey said “It’s reasonable to say that Charlie Kirk was more responsible than almost anyone for a political culture that we can assume contributed to his death.”
While there now appears to be some awareness that things have gone too far, it is too little and too late. The celebration of political violence is ghoulish, and no one should be surprised that decent people, including employers, have no time for it.
