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Western society must take a firm stand against political violence
Charlie Kirk’s death should raise alarm about the rising tide of political violence. Instead, bad-faith actors are pushing more incendiary rhetoric
Politics has always been adversarial. In a healthy democracy, that contest is bounded by rules: elections settle disputes, opponents are rivals not enemies, and losing an argument is not the same as losing one’s country. Break those bonds, and the descent from rhetoric to violence is swift, and we are beginning to see the consequences.
Political language in the United States has grown increasingly toxic. Partisans no longer accuse one another of being wrong, but of being enemies and traitors. That language, repeated by politicians and amplified by social media, creates permission structures. It tells people the other side is not fellow citizens but indeed an existential threat. Once that logic takes hold, violence is not a rupture from politics. It is the natural next step.
A society that knows its limits would have drawn a red line: disagreement is not grounds for execution. Instead, it became a pretext for mobilisation.