By Iain Gray

Copyright newsletter

The move comes as the suspected gunman in a killing that has stunned the US and sent shockwaves around the world was arrested and named as 22-year-old Tyler Robinson from Utah. According to Utah governor Spencer Cox, Robinson is reported to have complained about Mr Kirk’s speaking engagement at a Utah university, telling a family member the activist and media personality “was full of hate and spreading hate”. Mr Kirk, who founded the influential conservative campaign group Turning Point USA while still in his teens, was shot dead during that public speaking event on Wednesday. On Saturday at 11am, a rally is set to take place at Belfast City Hall honouring the memory of the prominent and at times provocative 31-year-old activist, with organisers saying it’s meant to “defend the right of people to express their beliefs” and “take a stand against cancel culture”. Although set up by the TUV, the organisers say the rally is apolitical and will highlight concerns about restrictions on free speech. “Charlie Kirk was known for engaging directly with people of all political persuasions,” TUV councillor Ron McDowell told the News Letter. “He debated openly at institutions such as Cambridge and Oxford, always insisting that disagreements should be handled through reasoned argument rather than censorship. “The rally reflects that spirit. It is about defending the right of people to express their beliefs on matters of family, faith, and society without fear of intimidation or silencing. Increasingly, those with gender-critical views, or who challenge fashionable orthodoxies, are being ‘cancelled’ – losing platforms, livelihoods, or facing legal and social pressure simply for speaking their mind. That culture of suppression must be resisted.” He added the rally also seeks to make a sober point about the dangers of political violence and the importance of open dialogue. “Political assassination, which sadly is not unfamiliar to Northern Ireland, transcends the left-right divide,” he stated. “The recent murder of US Democratic Party politician Melissa Hortman [in June] also demonstrates the tragic danger when public life descends into hatred rather than debate. That is why this rally insists on the importance of open conversation, not violence or silencing, as the way to resolve differences. “This event in Belfast is therefore not just about remembering Charlie’s contribution, but about affirming the ongoing importance of civil and religious liberty – freedoms long cherished in the West, but now under threat. It is a stand against cancel culture, a rejection of political violence, and a call to protect the liberties that belong to every citizen.” Meanwhile DUP leader Gavin Robinson paid tribute to Mr Kirk, stating the killing had shocked people far beyond the borders of the US as “the views he held and articulated so clearly were the values we have long cherished in the west”. Said the East Belfast MP: “He had spoken passionately about his belief that British values had shaped American values, and his desire to see both of those restored. “Many have said that this was not just an attack on an individual, but an assault on free speech and democracy. Even if you did not share his views, many will have admired his willingness to encourage and participate in open debate. “Behind the public profile he was a husband and a father to two young children. While they have been robbed of his presence as they grow up, they will not have been robbed of his influence as he has left a significant legacy that will continue to reverberate.”