Charlie Kirk's campaign group warns of death threats against members

Free speech must not be allowed to die with Charlie Kirk, activists warned last night as his British campaign group said its members had received death threats online.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said Left-wingers had also called for him to be shot in the wake of Mr Kirk’s murder at Utah Valley University on Wednesday.

The social media site Bluesky, which is popular with liberals, was so swamped by users celebrating the murder that its chief executive was forced to issue a rebuke.

Some even named individuals they wanted to ‘do next’, including Donald Trump and JK Rowling.

Last night, free speech campaigner Toby Young said: ‘The attitude of some activists towards the assassination of Charlie Kirk has revealed how little regard there is for free speech in some dark corners of our political universe. But we cannot let free speech die with Charlie Kirk.

‘It is more important than ever that we stand up for it.’

Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick said Mr Kirk’s death ‘must be a wake-up call for the Western world’, adding: ‘Free speech is under threat and political violence is growing.

‘We must fight back with a renewed commitment to defend the right for people to speak freely – even those we vehemently disagree with – or democracy will die.’

Turning Point UK, the political campaign group set up by Mr Kirk, 31, held a vigil in Whitehall in his memory last night.

Chief executive Jack Ross told the crowd of around 500 people: ‘Despite what certain members of the Press have reported, Charlie was not a hateful “far-Right” bigot – he was a good Christian man and his passion came from his desire to help people.

‘Charlie did not hate anyone through his work – he wanted to educate them and teach them to make better decisions.

‘Charlie’s legacy will be one of hope. Hope that the world will return to normalcy. Hope that people will once again embrace Christianity and family values. Hope that what happened to Charlie will never happen again.’

The organisation has warned that left-Wing activists had tried to ‘stir up assassination attempts’ against its members by posting lies and threats on social media.

‘We are majorly concerned about copycat attacks in Britain,’ Mr Ross added. ‘But we will not be deterred or intimidated out of delivering our message. Charlie’s brutal assassination is a stark reminder of why we need more free speech. When political echo chambers shut out other opinions it leads to radicalisation, swiftly followed by violence.

‘I think it is truly sick that people are celebrating Charlie’s murder. The far-Left have not learnt any lessons from this tragedy.’

Shadow Foreign Secretary Dame Priti Patel said it was ‘disgraceful’ that ‘far-Left mobs would seek to target’ the group ‘with intimidation and threats’.

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She added: ‘Charlie Kirk’s assassination was an assault on the freedom of speech that we hold so dear. The right to openly and peacefully express one’s views, without fear of violence, is fundamental to democracy.

‘This must be a wake-up call for our country and for the West. Freedom of speech must be defended at all costs.’

Last night, Mr Farage blasted the rise in political violence, and called for police to investigate those calling for him to be shot.

He said: ‘If we are serious about understanding what the limits of freedom of speech are, those people posting on TikTok calling for me to be killed yesterday, let’s see if the police go and arrest them. Because if they don’t, we truly are living in two-tier Britain.’

Dozens of Bluesky users revelled in Mr Kirk’s death yesterday, posting messages including one that said: ‘Charlie Kirk is dead, YAY!!!! One less misogynist piece of s*** on the planet. Do Trump next!!!! NOT SORRY!!!!’

Another, apparently based in Scotland, wrote: ‘I’m glad that guy died... Can we get JK Rowling next, like the UK would be unbearable about it, but its for the greater good of trans people.’

Bluesky, which was set up by Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, banned or suspending many of the offending members.

It said: ‘Glorifying violence or harm violates Bluesky’s guidelines. We take action on content that celebrates harm against anyone. Violence has no place in healthy public discourse.’

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Its chief executive, Jay Graber, said: ‘Violence is always unacceptable. Our thoughts are with Charlie Kirk and his family.’

Yesterday, Spencer Cox, Utah’s Republican governor, warned that Mr Kirk’s murder threatened to stifle freedom of speech – a constitutional right in the US. ‘This is bigger than an attack on an individual – it is an attack on all of us,’ he said. ‘It cuts to the very foundation of who we are.

‘Charlie championed freedom of expression. Having his life taken in that very act makes it more difficult for people to feel they can share their ideas and speak freely.

‘We will never be able to solve all our problems, including the violence problems people are worried about, if we can’t have a clash of ideas safely and securely – especially those ideas you disagree with. That’s why this matters so much.’