Kirk’s allies have issued a
chilling ultimatum, “mourn him properly or else”. For many in the US and beyond this looks like
the death of free speech in the US in all but name
By Fareed Khan
A version of this article can be found on Substack.
As
Canadians observing the turmoil unfolding in the United States, the
assassination of American conservative activist Charlie
Kirk on September 10, 2025 at Utah Valley University feels like a chilling
milestone in the descent towards fascism we are witnessing in the United States. It is a trajectory that evokes the rise of
Nazi Germany in the 1930s, and Canada stands as Austria, culturally and economically
intertwined with the US, vulnerable to being subsumed by the same authoritarian
ideology, if not annexed as the 51st state, an idea that Donald Trump has often floated since his return to the presidency.
Kirk, a 31-year-old father of two and co-founder of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot by a sniper during a public speech. The alleged assassin was raised in a Republican family who supported Trump in the last election, and convinced him to turn himself in once they recognized him in security images shown on the news. Kirk’s murder should have prompted national soul-searching about the scourge of political violence in the US in recent years. Instead, it has unleashed a ferocious wave of retribution by Republicans and members of the MAGA movement, against those deemed insufficiently mournful or openly critical of Kirk and his dangerous political messaging, which targeted Democrats, progressives, immigrants, refugees, Palestinians, Muslims, members of the LGBTQ2 community and others who were seen to be enemies of the far-right vision of American society that Kirk promoted.
The campaign of firings, doxxing, death threats, and calls for deportation targeting those who have been critical of Kirk or posted negative comments on social media, signals that free speech, a cornerstone of democracy, is being shredded in America. The flood of threatening and harassing social media posts hasn’t left politician untouched. There is growing concern about the security of public officials and their families, as the flood of threats on social media targets those in government.
More alarmingly, this authoritarian tide is finding a receptive audience in parts of the political right-wing in Canada, and is energizing Canada’s far-right voices, threatening to pull our nation into the same abyss, with admirers of Kirk saying Canadian critics should also be fired from their jobs or ostracized. As we watch from north of the border, the US’s drift toward fascism and its ripple effects in Canada demand urgent reflection, resistance and action.
The scale of the US backlash is staggering and deeply troubling. There have been media reports of many dozens of individuals across the United States being fired or suspended from their jobs for public comments or social media posts about Kirk’s assassination, even when those comments neither incited nor threatened violence. The victims span a wide range of professions and include journalists, teachers, firefighters, elected officials, a Secret Service employee, a junior strategist at Nasdaq, and a public relations worker for the NFL’s Carolina Panthers. In states like Tennessee, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Mississippi, Ohio, and South Carolina, school employees face investigations or outright termination for their online remarks.
Matthew Dowd, a Republican contributor at MSNBC and chief strategist for George W. Bush’s 2004 presidential campaign, was dismissed for saying that Kirk’s own radical rhetoric may have contributed to the shooting that killed him. “Hateful thoughts lead to hateful words, which then lead to hateful actions,” Dowd said, adding, “You can’t stop with these sort of awful thoughts you have and then saying these awful words and then not expect awful actions to take place.”
In addition, several military personnel were relieved of duty for similar posts, with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth telling Pentagon officials to search for negative social media posts about Kirk by serving members of the military, and those that are found to have transgressed be sanctioned. Even quoting Kirk’s own words—such as his claim that “some gun deaths every single year” were a “prudent deal” for preserving the constitutional right to bear arms, have been deemed unacceptable by Kirk’s legion of followers.
Observing from Canada, this looks like a systematic purge, where dissent is punished with economic devastation, or social ostracization, a tactic straight out of the authoritarian playbook. The campaign extends far beyond employment. Far-right figures and groups, such as Chaya Raichik’s “Libs of TikTok” account, have taken to platforms like X to collate and expose “objectionable” commentary, triggering torrents of online abuse, doxxing, and death threats. An anonymous website, “Expose Charlie’s Murderers,” has published personal details of critics, inciting further harassment. Prominent US conservatives have also amplified these efforts with Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) demanding the firing of a Middle Tennessee State University employee who expressed “ZERO sympathy” for Kirk, while Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.) has vowed to use congressional authority to ban critics from social media for life.
This campaign of threats and doxxing has also targeted Canadian journalist Rachel Gilmore, whose innocuous comment about Kirk has resulted in her receiving death threats. She wrote on X
that she was “terrified to think of how far-right fans of Kirk, aching
for more violence, could very well turn this into an even more
radicalizing moment. Will they now believe their fears have been proven
right and feel they have a right to ‘retaliate,’ regardless of who
actually was behind the initial shooting?”
Conservative MP Andrew Scheer swiftly reposted Gilmore’s comments, saying she was “twisted” and had “so much hate in her.” Other Canadian Conservatives also weighed in or reposted Scheer’s comment, resulting in Gilmore being on the top of a list on a website listing those who hate Kirk.
Other proposals that have been floated by Republicans include deporting foreign-born critics, suing them into financial ruin, or revoking their business and driver’s licenses, while education departments in Florida and Oklahoma are investigating teachers for similar comments. None of these individuals advocated violence. Their only “crime” was failing to mourn Kirk in the manner demanded by his supporters.
This orchestrated suppression mirrors the tactics of fascist regimes, where dissent on any issue that is favoured by those in power is crushed through economic coercion, social ostracism, state-backed intimidation or worse. As Reuters reported, Kirk’s allies have issued a chilling ultimatum, “mourn him properly or else”. For many in the US and beyond this looks like the death of free speech in all but name. The US Supreme Court has long protected even offensive speech, such as expressions of regret over the failed assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan, yet today, even mild criticism of Kirk—such as highlighting his history of inflammatory rhetoric—is resulting in professional and personal destruction. Platforms like X amplify doxxing campaigns without restraint, and employers of those who post messages on social media that some deem offensive, fearing right-wing backlash, swiftly capitulate. This erosion of free expression is not just an American problem, it’s a warning for Canada, where similar dynamics are taking root.
The hypocrisy of this response is particularly galling when viewed through Kirk’s own record. He consistently mocked acts of political violence against Democrats, using them to inflame the MAGA base with little empathy for the victims of that violence. In June 2025, when Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman (D) and her husband Mark were assassinated, alongside an attempt on state Sen. John Hoffman (D) and his wife, Kirk linked the attacks to Gov. Tim Walz (D), implying his leftist policies invited the violence rather than condemning it outright. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) similarly mocked the killings online before deleting his posts, only to later eulogize Kirk as a “patriot”.
Kirk derided the April 2025 arson attack on Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s (D) mansion, where Shapiro and his family narrowly escaped a firebomb during Passover, framing it as deserved retribution for Democratic “extremism”. Additionally, after the 2022 hammer attack on Paul Pelosi, husband of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Kirk spread conspiracy theories and called for “patriots” to bailout the assailant. These incidents were politicized to rally his supporters, yet his followers now demand universal reverence for him, punishing any deviation.
This double standard underscores the fragility of democratic norms. Kirk’s words fueled division, yet his death is being used by his supporters to enforce ideological conformity. Ezra Klein, a liberal US commentator, once praised Kirk as “one of the era’s most effective practitioners of persuasion,” envying his ability to build through argument rather than force. But Kirk’s legacy, as seen by many in the US and Canada, is one of polarization. If he truly believed in persuasion, his followers have either abandoned it or never believed in it, opting instead for threats and punishment. Alternatively, if Kirk was indeed a master persuader, he convinced his audience that dissent is tantamount to treason—a hallmark of fascist ideology. Either way, the result is a society where disagreement invites peril, and Canada is not immune to this contagion.
This authoritarian drift in the US is energizing Canada’s far-right, much as Nazi Germany’s ideology spread to Austria before the 1938 Anschluss. Groups like Canada Proud, already influenced by US-style populism, are seizing on Kirk’s death to advance their cause in this country. Social media posts from Canadian far-right accounts mirror US calls for doxxing, targeting academics, journalists, and even public servants who’ve commented on Kirk’s death.
The 2022 Freedom Convoy protests in Ottawa demonstrated how US rhetoric can fuel Canadian extremism. Kirk’s assassination has amplified this cross-border influence, as Canadian far-right influencers have also been calling for American-style purges. If the US is Nazi Germany, Canada is Austria—geographically and culturally close, economically dependent, and at risk of ideological if not political annexation.
America’s slide toward fascism, marked by loyalty tests, purges, and npw the weaponization of grief, threatens to normalize similar tactics in Canada. Our far-right, emboldened by American examples, is already testing these waters, targeting dissenters with online harassment and calls for professional consequences. The Canadian government’s 2022 invocation of the Emergencies Act to quell the convoy protests was a flashpoint in this country, but Kirk’s death could ignite another, with far-right groups framing it as proof of a “leftist conspiracy.”
This cross-border contagion risks undermining Canada’s democratic institutions, and its pluralistic traditions, much as Austria’s sovereignty crumbled under Nazi pressure with the trajectory in the US a warning to this nation. President Trump, having survived two assassination attempts in 2024, has blamed the “radical left” for Kirk’s death, ignoring the bipartisan nature of political violence and stoking the desire for vengeance. Lawmakers are canceling events, bolstering security, and even carrying firearms as threat have escalated over the past few years.
This is not a dictatorship (yet), but what we are seeing is a prelude—a nation where speech is policed, critics’ lives are ruined, and unity is demanded at gunpoint. Canada must heed this lesson. Our far-right is watching, learning, and mobilizing. If we fail to act, we risk following the US into an authoritarian abyss.
To halt this descent, those who believe in democracy and pluralism must recommit to free speech as a universal right, not a privilege for the ideologically pure. Kirk’s death should prompt reflection on political violence, not score-settling. In Canada, we must strengthen democratic norms, reject far-right calls for censorship, and protect those targeted for their views.
The US needs to confront its own hypocrisy, where Kirk’s mockery of political violence against Democrats was tolerated, but criticism of him is not. If America continues down this path, and Canada’s far-right gains traction the way it has south of the border, we risk becoming satellites of an authoritarian nightmare, much like Austria under the Nazi shadow. The time to resist is now—before the border between democracy and fascism blurs beyond recognition.
© 2025 The View From Here. © 2025 Fareed Khan. All Rights Reserved.
Conservative MP Andrew Scheer swiftly reposted Gilmore’s comments, saying she was “twisted” and had “so much hate in her.” Other Canadian Conservatives also weighed in or reposted Scheer’s comment, resulting in Gilmore being on the top of a list on a website listing those who hate Kirk.
Other proposals that have been floated by Republicans include deporting foreign-born critics, suing them into financial ruin, or revoking their business and driver’s licenses, while education departments in Florida and Oklahoma are investigating teachers for similar comments. None of these individuals advocated violence. Their only “crime” was failing to mourn Kirk in the manner demanded by his supporters.
This orchestrated suppression mirrors the tactics of fascist regimes, where dissent on any issue that is favoured by those in power is crushed through economic coercion, social ostracism, state-backed intimidation or worse. As Reuters reported, Kirk’s allies have issued a chilling ultimatum, “mourn him properly or else”. For many in the US and beyond this looks like the death of free speech in all but name. The US Supreme Court has long protected even offensive speech, such as expressions of regret over the failed assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan, yet today, even mild criticism of Kirk—such as highlighting his history of inflammatory rhetoric—is resulting in professional and personal destruction. Platforms like X amplify doxxing campaigns without restraint, and employers of those who post messages on social media that some deem offensive, fearing right-wing backlash, swiftly capitulate. This erosion of free expression is not just an American problem, it’s a warning for Canada, where similar dynamics are taking root.
The hypocrisy of this response is particularly galling when viewed through Kirk’s own record. He consistently mocked acts of political violence against Democrats, using them to inflame the MAGA base with little empathy for the victims of that violence. In June 2025, when Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman (D) and her husband Mark were assassinated, alongside an attempt on state Sen. John Hoffman (D) and his wife, Kirk linked the attacks to Gov. Tim Walz (D), implying his leftist policies invited the violence rather than condemning it outright. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) similarly mocked the killings online before deleting his posts, only to later eulogize Kirk as a “patriot”.
Kirk derided the April 2025 arson attack on Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro’s (D) mansion, where Shapiro and his family narrowly escaped a firebomb during Passover, framing it as deserved retribution for Democratic “extremism”. Additionally, after the 2022 hammer attack on Paul Pelosi, husband of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Kirk spread conspiracy theories and called for “patriots” to bailout the assailant. These incidents were politicized to rally his supporters, yet his followers now demand universal reverence for him, punishing any deviation.
This double standard underscores the fragility of democratic norms. Kirk’s words fueled division, yet his death is being used by his supporters to enforce ideological conformity. Ezra Klein, a liberal US commentator, once praised Kirk as “one of the era’s most effective practitioners of persuasion,” envying his ability to build through argument rather than force. But Kirk’s legacy, as seen by many in the US and Canada, is one of polarization. If he truly believed in persuasion, his followers have either abandoned it or never believed in it, opting instead for threats and punishment. Alternatively, if Kirk was indeed a master persuader, he convinced his audience that dissent is tantamount to treason—a hallmark of fascist ideology. Either way, the result is a society where disagreement invites peril, and Canada is not immune to this contagion.
This authoritarian drift in the US is energizing Canada’s far-right, much as Nazi Germany’s ideology spread to Austria before the 1938 Anschluss. Groups like Canada Proud, already influenced by US-style populism, are seizing on Kirk’s death to advance their cause in this country. Social media posts from Canadian far-right accounts mirror US calls for doxxing, targeting academics, journalists, and even public servants who’ve commented on Kirk’s death.
The 2022 Freedom Convoy protests in Ottawa demonstrated how US rhetoric can fuel Canadian extremism. Kirk’s assassination has amplified this cross-border influence, as Canadian far-right influencers have also been calling for American-style purges. If the US is Nazi Germany, Canada is Austria—geographically and culturally close, economically dependent, and at risk of ideological if not political annexation.
America’s slide toward fascism, marked by loyalty tests, purges, and npw the weaponization of grief, threatens to normalize similar tactics in Canada. Our far-right, emboldened by American examples, is already testing these waters, targeting dissenters with online harassment and calls for professional consequences. The Canadian government’s 2022 invocation of the Emergencies Act to quell the convoy protests was a flashpoint in this country, but Kirk’s death could ignite another, with far-right groups framing it as proof of a “leftist conspiracy.”
This cross-border contagion risks undermining Canada’s democratic institutions, and its pluralistic traditions, much as Austria’s sovereignty crumbled under Nazi pressure with the trajectory in the US a warning to this nation. President Trump, having survived two assassination attempts in 2024, has blamed the “radical left” for Kirk’s death, ignoring the bipartisan nature of political violence and stoking the desire for vengeance. Lawmakers are canceling events, bolstering security, and even carrying firearms as threat have escalated over the past few years.
This is not a dictatorship (yet), but what we are seeing is a prelude—a nation where speech is policed, critics’ lives are ruined, and unity is demanded at gunpoint. Canada must heed this lesson. Our far-right is watching, learning, and mobilizing. If we fail to act, we risk following the US into an authoritarian abyss.
To halt this descent, those who believe in democracy and pluralism must recommit to free speech as a universal right, not a privilege for the ideologically pure. Kirk’s death should prompt reflection on political violence, not score-settling. In Canada, we must strengthen democratic norms, reject far-right calls for censorship, and protect those targeted for their views.
The US needs to confront its own hypocrisy, where Kirk’s mockery of political violence against Democrats was tolerated, but criticism of him is not. If America continues down this path, and Canada’s far-right gains traction the way it has south of the border, we risk becoming satellites of an authoritarian nightmare, much like Austria under the Nazi shadow. The time to resist is now—before the border between democracy and fascism blurs beyond recognition.
© 2025 The View From Here. © 2025 Fareed Khan. All Rights Reserved.
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