violence is a tool, not the whole toolbox
when the state labels you an extremist for existing, when they criminalize your identity, then self-defense becomes mandatory. Trump is using Charlie Kirk's death to enact genocidal measures against queer Americans. if the FBI labels us as Nihilistic Violent Extremists the response will be bloodshed, and it will be deserved. The Stonewall riots weren’t polite. John Brown didn’t ask nicely. there is no debating with fascists. arguing with them is a waste of energy. make them afraid to show their faces instead.
Charlie Kirk was a white supremacist fascist who supported the creation of a Christian nationalist theocracy. the threat he posed to humanity was incalculable. he spent the later part of his career supporting state-sanctioned murder in part through denying healthcare, police brutality, and keeping Americans trapped in poverty. Charlie Kirk was a passive serial killer like every other fascist. instead of doing the dirty work themselves, they outsource the killing to cops, laws, and death by a thousand cuts.
there is nothing to condemn in relation to Kirk's assassination. lone wolf resistance is inevitable when people are pushed to the brink. the left’s instinct to distance itself from these acts is naive and disempowering. it ignores history and human nature. revolution is messy. it’s not just marches and speeches, it’s desperate people doing desperate things because they’ve been left no other choice. the killing of fascists isn’t some aberration—it’s a predictable response to state-sanctioned terror.
stop condemning the acts of the oppressed or allies of the oppressed as "counterproductive" or "immoral." they are the logical outcome of oppression. it may not be pretty, and it may even hurt the cause due to the response received, but the fault is of those who made war inevitable. the left needs to grow up. violence is a tool, not a sin. the real sin is the conditions that create it.
the thing is, lone wolf violence is never going to end. it is human nature. there are always going to be assassinations and one-off killings of prominent figures. avoid praise if you must but reframe the issue as an unfortunate yet necessary part of revolution that has been forced upon us. let the people know assassinations are the actions of a caged animal with no power remaining. tell the world that gunmen are responding to an immediate threat to human lives, and that this is the fault of the fascists; this is the psychological damage they cause. embrace what happens when revolution is needed, not because it's righteous, but because it's a testament to the strength of the human spirit. face what is happening as a matter of reality when it comes to disposing of fascists.
it's a good thing that charlie kirk is gone. it doesn't matter how it happened. words have power and he used his to make the country unsafe for minorities. he directly contributed to the climate that led to every single murder in the name of bigotry the last 10 years. blood was on his hands. it's always a net positive when a monster is stopped.
i don’t care that Charlie Kirk is dead. i care that there are thousands more who need the same treatment.