The Intercept<\/a> published a piece entitled \u201cThey Tried to Make Charlie Kirk a Saint. They Made Him a Meme.\u201d<\/p>\n\u201cBy elevating Kirk to a martyr and clamping down on free speech, the right assured that he would be ridiculed even in death,\u201d columnist Katherine Krueger argues in the article.<\/p>\n
She goes on to argue that there\u2019s a tragic irony to the reaction, as Kirk considered himself a free speech warrior.<\/p>\n
\u201cPresident Trump and his allies almost immediately blamed Democrats and \u2018the radical left,\u2019 without evidence, for Kirk\u2019s assassination,\u201d Krueger writes, adding:<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the Department of Defense, Secretary Pete Hegseth promised to investigate whether members of the armed forces were inadequately mournful and terminate them. The State Department revoked visas of noncitizens who \u2018celebrated\u2019 Kirk\u2019s death<\/p>\n
Even right-leaning commentators like Richard Hanania have noted that Kirk\u2019s death did not have the unifying, \u201cgalvanizing\u201d effect that so many conservatives anticipated.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe truth is, Charlie Kirk helped build up the culture of conspiracism that would come to haunt his own death,\u201d Hanania writes<\/a>, noting conspiracy theories advanced by Candace Owens and other media figures.<\/p>\nOne year on, there\u2019s no denying that Charlie Kirk\u2019s legacy remains complicated. But knowing how highly Kirk valued debate, perhaps his supporters can take comfort in the knowledge that he\u2019s still being discussed every day.<\/p>\n
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