By Liam Buckler

Copyright mirror

An expert has warned ” America is on the brink of civil war” after the political assassination of Conservative activist Charlie Death. The 31-year-old was shot dead on a Utah college campus while participating in a debate hosted by his non-profit political youth organisation, Turning Point USA. The suspect is reportedly still on the loose. Donald Trump announced Kirk’s death on social media and praised the political activist as “Great, and even legendary”. He later recorded a video from the White House calling Kirk a “martyr for truth and freedom”. He blamed the rhetoric of the “radical left” for the killing. The shooting drew swift condemnation across the political aisle as Democratic officials joined Trump, and Republican allies of Kirk in decrying the violence. “This is a dark day for our state. It’s a tragic day for our nation,” said Utah Govenor. Spencer Cox. “I want to be very clear this is a political assassination.” Inderjeet Parmar, professor of International Politics at City St George’s, University of London, believes the shooting marks a “chilling escalation” in a nation that remains “on the brink of civil war”. He exclusively told The Mirror : “This is a grim testament to America’s descent into a vortex of political violence. Gunned down by a sniper during his ‘American Comeback Tour’, Kirk’s death—branded a ‘political assassination’ by Utah Governor Spencer Cox—marks a chilling escalation in a nation already fractured by elite-driven polarisation and the far-right’s toxic rhetoric. “Kirk was an anti-immigrant, white suprematist whose politics echoed Trump’s own far right attitudes and has mobilised young right-wingers across America and was a leading organiser of the protests on January 6 2021 that led to the attempted insurrection to overthrow Biden’s election victory “President Trump, who hailed Kirk as a ‘martyr for truth and freedom’, will likely seize this moment to amplify his narrative of victimhood, blaming the ‘radical left’ for years of inflammatory rhetoric that he claims incites such acts. “Most political violence in America is directed at the Left and anti fascists including Democratic Party officials. “Expect fiery Oval Office addresses, Truth Social rants, and calls for vengeance, framing Kirk’s killing as proof of a deep state conspiracy. His base—evangelicals, MAGA loyalists, and campus conservatives—will react with fury, mourning Kirk as a fallen hero while rallying at vigils and protests. Social media will erupt with conspiracy theories, potentially glorifying Kirk into a saintly icon, boosting Turning Point’s recruitment and deepening the chasm with liberals. “America remains on the brink of a civil war that the trump administration has played the leading role in fomenting over the past nine years.”