By Charles Aldous

Charlie Kirk’s murder was a shocking and senseless act of political violence.

Kirk was the founder and CEO of Turning Point USA, an incredibly influential conservative group on university campuses and in wider society. So influential was Kirk’s voice, he grew to call the likes of President Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance close friends. Like anyone else in a free society, he did not deserve to die for his politics. Most tragically, he was murdered at a place of education, Utah Valley University.

While Britain has not witnessed a campus killing of this kind, our own political climate is becoming increasingly tense and, at times, violent. Since October 7th, some student societies have openly expressed support for the terrorist group Hamas; at Durham University last summer, a debate on Palestinian peace was cancelled and postponed after protesters trapped students inside the debating chamber, forcing the police to intervene. If universities can no longer serve as marketplaces of ideas, both in the UK and in the US, what hope is there for wider society engaging in peaceful discourse?........

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