The British arm of Charlie Kirk’s campaign group accused Deputy PM David Lammy last night of ‘fuelling violent rhetoric’ against Right-wing figures.
Mr Kirk, 31, a father of two, was shot dead during an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday in what authorities called a political assassination.
Yesterday, there was widespread fury at Left-wingers who celebrated the death of Mr Kirk and used it to score political points.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer paid tribute to the conservative activist on X shortly after his death, saying: ‘It is heartbreaking that a young family has been robbed of a father and a husband.
‘We must all be free to debate openly and freely without fear – there can be no justification for political violence.’
But Turning Point UK – an offshoot of Mr Kirk’s group Turning Point USA – challenged Sir Keir over comments by Mr Lammy.
Mr Kirk flew to London in 2019 for the launch of Turning Point UK, which was welcomed by Tory MPs including Jacob Rees-Mogg and Priti Patel.
At the time, Mr Lammy described it as evidence that ‘sinister forces are taking hold of our country’.
Charlie Kirk (pictured with his wife) was struck in the neck by a single bullet while speaking about mass shootings at a university campus in Utah
Charlie Kirk leaves behind his wife Erika Frantzve, with whom he had a three-year-old daughter and a son, 16 months
The British arm of Charlie Kirk’s campaign group accused Deputy PM David Lammy (pictured) of ‘fuelling violent rhetoric’ against Right-wing figures
He posted on X: ‘The transformation of the Tories from a centre-Right, economically conservative party to one that openly promotes hard-Right, xenophobic bile in just a few years shows what happens when you appease.’
Last night, Turning Point UK said in a statement: ‘Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy has been at the forefront of fuelling violent rhetoric against those on the Right of politics.
‘From baselessly calling President Trump a ‘Neo-Nazi sympathising sociopath’ to branding Charlie Kirk and Turning Point as ‘xenophobic’, Lammy’s words have deliberately fuelled division.
‘Charlie Kirk is dead because Left-wing politicians like Lammy demonised and misrepresented political opponents and turned them into bogeymen that extremists view as legitimate targets.
‘It’s too late for Charlie, but the rhetoric in our politics must change before more are murdered.’
In a statement, the group added: ‘The language your party and the wider Left uses to describe people like Charlie and us is why we face this violence. Shame on you.’
Yesterday, Fiona Wild, an independent councillor in Burnley, resigned after an online post following Mr Kirk’s murder in which she said: ‘I don’t condone violence, but I do think he made himself a target and brought this on himself so good riddance to not a very nice man! America needs to get rid of the other t*t now.’
After the post caused an outcry, Burnley Council said: ‘We can confirm that Ms Wild has now resigned from her position.’
Charlie Kirk speaks before he is shot during Turning Point’s visit to Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on Wednesday
Images from the scene showed the crowd run as someone fired a single shot
During a debate on ITV’s Good Morning Britain yesterday, former Conservative minister Michael Gove described Mr Kirk as ‘a sort of Cicero for the TikTok age’, adding that it was ‘the latest political assassination to afflict America’.
But Mr Abbey intervened to say: ‘Can I just say something? I don’t believe he was a Cicero for the TikTok age, I believe he was a David Duke for the TikTok age.’
When host Kate Garraway asked him to clarify who Duke was, he replied: ‘He was the former Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan. This is by no means trying to justify his murder. Political violence is wrong at home; it’s wrong abroad.
‘Political violence must be condemned, as must the propagandising for political violence and the dehumanisation of people.’ Reacting to the online response to the killing, Brendan Cox – whose wife, Labour MP Jo Cox, was murdered in 2016 – condemned the trolls.
He praised senior Democrats such as Barack Obama, the Clintons and Nancy Pelosi for paying tribute, telling the Daily Mail: ‘On top of that very personal impact on Charlie’s family, you’ve got the impact on American politics, which is already in a very difficult place.
‘What I remember from when Jo was killed, was Britain as a country coming together… while trying to tone down tensions.
‘I’m not sure that’s what we’re seeing in the US. You’ve got really strong statements from high-profile Democrats, saying this is outrageous. But you’ve got people on the Left joking about it or making snide comments.
‘America needs to… tone down the temperature, rather than turn it up further. But I’m not hopeful, knowing what’s happening online.’
The BBC also came under fire for ‘distasteful’ coverage of the killing after inviting Democratic strategist Joi Chaney to comment. When she said Mr Kirk ‘wasn’t admired and loved by all’, the presenter and another panellist were visibly shocked and there was an audible gasp.
The clip was swiftly shared on social media, leading to anger at Ms Chaney’s comments and the BBC for airing them soon after the killing.
The Labour Party, the BBC and ITV were asked to comment.