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By Alia Shoaib
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A fight broke out at a vigil for Charlie Kirk in Idaho after a man on a bike apparently shouted a derogatory message about the conservative commentator who was shot dead on Wednesday.
Why It Matters
Kirk, 31, who founded the youth organization Turning Point USA, was killed after being fatally shot at an event at a college campus in Utah on Wednesday.
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His death has sparked widespread outrage across the nation, and the suspected act of political violence has also exacerbated partisan tensions.
What To Know
A video of an altercation at the Idaho vigil was shared on X. The poster wrote that the incident took place after a man on a scooter yelled out "F*** Charlie Kirk," but the video does not capture that moment.
The video shows the man, wearing a white T-shirt and a backpack, being surrounded as the crowd chants "USA!"
A group of men start beating the man, who at one point falls to the ground as he is kicked and hit. The man then gets up and trades punches with those surrounding him.
The brawl continues until police arrive to break it up, at which point the man crosses the street and continues to shout and swear at the crowd, including calling out: "What happened to free speech?"
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Several accounts on X, including Visegrád 24 and Idaho Liberty Dogs, identified the man on the bike as Terry Wilson, an activist from the local BLM chapter. Newsweek reached out to Wilson via Instagram DM for comment.
While prominent Democrats and left-wing commentators have forcefully condemned Kirk's killing, some social media users have sparked furor for appearing to celebrate it.
At the same time, several conservatives, including President Donald Trump, have blamed the "radical left" for fostering political violence.
This has, in turn, prompted commentators like Mehdi Hasan, and the "Republicans Against Trump" X account, to cite the murder of Democratic lawmaker Melissa Hortman as evidence that political violence occurs on both sides.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump said in a video message: "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."
Broadcaster and writer Mehdi Hasan wrote on X: "Judging by the shamefully opportunistic & politicizing rhetoric of some rightwingers on this hellsite and their cynical use of Charlie Kirk's horrific murder for political point scoring, it's almost as if Rep. Melissa Hortman wasn't murdered by a MAGA maniac just 12 weeks ago."
What Happens Next
The manhunt for Kirk's killer is still ongoing. With emotions running high, his assassination is likely to remain a flashpoint in the country's deepening political divide.
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