Former Downing Street communications director under Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, Alastair Campbell, was forced to issue an apology after spreading false claims about Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk in the wake of his assassination.
Campbell, who now co-hosts the prominent Westminster establishment This Rest Is Politics podcast alongside neo-liberal former Conservative Party government minister Rory Stewart, claimed on the show that Charlie Kirk had argued that homosexuals should be stoned to death.
“The guy’s died and it’s tragic … but it’s important we don’t lose sight of some of the views he expressed because they were horrific,” he said. “I remember one clip I saw of him saying that, a literal reading of the bible, gay people should be stoned to death.”
A clip of the comments was shared on X by political satirist and openly gay British journalist Andrew Doyle, who said: “No… Charlie Kirk categorically did NOT support the stoning to death of gay people”.
“Will you retract this reckless and ignorant smear?”
Rather than advocating for gays to be stoned to death, the oft-circulated clip of Kirk’s comments, typically shared without context, was in reality part of a discussion about how some people selectively quote the Bible to affirm their political stances while ignoring other inconvenient passages, such as in Leviticus, which describes homosexuality as an “abomination” that should be result in the death penalty.
Following the backlash over his false claims, Campbell retracted his statement and issued an apology.
“Apologies for this. I had seen a clip on social media which did not have the full context, and had seen others making the same claim,” he wrote on X.
“The full exchange shows it was a debate about Biblical interpretation, not a call for the stoning of gay people. Kirk did have views with which I strongly disagree, but this was not among them,” Campbell continued.
“Note to self – especially amid tragic and potentially deeply polarising events, be extra careful about social media, mis- and disinformation,” he concluded.
The promotion of the false claim about Kirk’s position has not been confined to Campbell, with out-of-context clips frequently being shared on social media.
Other notable figures to promote the falsehood include horror author Stephen King, who wrote on X in the wake of Kirk’s assassination: “He advocated stoning gays to death. Just sayin’.”
Like Campbell, King was forced to issue an apology and retract the claim, amid calls for Charlie Kirk’s estate to sue the author for defamation.
False claims about Kirk’s positions were also spread by the legacy media, including the New York Times, which was forced to issue a correction after falsely reporting that he had made an antisemitic remark. The liberal paper was forced to issue a correction, admitting that Kirk was merely quoting a position with which he disagreed.
Follow Kurt Zindulka on X: Follow @KurtZindulka or e-mail to: [email protected]
Read the full article here