The increasing drive for censorship has created a “poisonous environment” in America, the political commentator told RT
The assassination of a political speaker you disagree with is antithetical to American values, making Charlie Kirk’s murder a grave signal for US society, former Marine Corps intelligence officer and UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter told RT.
The founder of the conservative student group Turning Point USA was shot dead Wednesday at Utah Valley University by a gunman firing from a nearby rooftop. Kirk was famous for his public debates on hot-button topics, such as transgender issues or US support for Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.
Apparently motivated by politics, the crime shows that constitutionally protected free speech in America “is no longer free,” and that some words can be met with violence rather than counterarguments, Ritter said.
“In the battleground of ideas, the solution to somebody’s bad ideas isn’t to shoot the person,” he said. “The last thing you do is silence Charlie Kirk by shooting Charlie Kirk.”
Ritter blamed the US government for increasingly embracing censorship of speech it considers inconvenient and for enabling intimidation by activists. He said he has personally faced harassment over his public statements, including online death threats aimed at him and his family.
“We have a poisonous environment today on social media, on the mainstream media, and in society in general, where people are physically threatened because of the words they speak,” he said.
“It’s OK to be offended by people’s speech,” Ritter added. “What is not okay is to demonize people to the extent that [you argue] America would be better off without these ideas being articulated.”
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The gunman shot Kirk at a publicly accessible venue. Ritter warned that the attack could discourage US campuses from hosting controversial speakers since many universities cannot afford the level of security needed to prevent such violence.
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