Washington DC [US], September 11 : US President Donald Trump has described the killing of right-wing political commentator and conservative activist Charlie Kirk a "dark moment for America" and accused the "radical left" of inciting such political violence across the country.
In an address late Wednesday (local time), Trump paid tribute to Kirk, calling him a "patriot" and a "martyr for truth and freedom", while expressing condolences to Kirk's wife Erica and their two children.
The prominent right-wing commentator and founder of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot in the neck while speaking at Utah Valley University on Wednesday, as reported by The New York Times.
"To my great fellow Americans, I am filled with grief and anger at the heinous assassination of Charlie Kirk on a college campus in Utah. Charlie inspired millions, and tonight all who knew him and loved him are united in shock and horror. Charlie was a patriot who devoted his life to the cause of open debate and the country that he loved so much, the United States of America... He's a martyr for truth and freedom... Our prayers are with his wife, Erica, the two young beloved children, and his entire family, who he loved more than anything in the world... This is a dark moment for America," the US President said.
Trump also condemned what he described as years of "demonisation" of conservative voices, which he claimed had created a culture of hatred and violence.
"It's long past time for all Americans and the media to confront the fact that violence and murder are the tragic consequence of demonising those with whom you disagree day after day, year after year, in the most hateful and despicable way possible. For years, those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world's worst mass murderers and criminals. This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we're seeing in our country today, and it must stop right now," he said.
Trump referenced several high-profile incidents of violence in recent years, including the assassination attempt on himself at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, last year, as examples of what he called a "pattern of politically motivated attacks" by the far left.
"From the attack on my life in Butler, Pennsylvania, last year, which killed a husband and father, to the attacks on ICE agents, to the vicious murder of a healthcare executive in the streets of New York, to the shooting of House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and three others. Radical left political violence has hurt too many innocent people and taken too many lives," he stated.
Calling for national unity and a return to civil discourse, Trump urged Americans to honour Kirk's legacy by recommitting to core American values.
"Tonight, I ask all Americans to commit themselves to the American values for which Charlie Kirk lived and died."
According to the New York Times, citing a Utah Valley University spokesperson, Kirk was approximately 20 minutes into his presentation when gunshots were heard from a nearby building.
The university informed students that "a single shot was fired on campus toward a visiting speaker," and a suspect has been taken into custody.
A spokesperson confirmed that Kirk was the only person shot during the event.
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