The fight to re-establish democracy in America took a dangerous turn this week with the murder of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.
Although Mr. Kirk’s views were often inflammatory, factually inaccurate, and hostile to the values of a tolerant, democratic society (see appendix below), he was exercising his constitutional right to free speech – he did politics as it should be done. And free speech rights, even hateful speech, must be defended, as long as it is not the precipitant for violence.
Trump’s Exploitation of Tragedy
Unfortunately Trump is already exploiting this horrific event to advanced his anti-democratic political agenda, as he said:
“It’s long past time for all Americas and the media to confront the fact that violence and murder are the tragic consequence of demonizing those with whom you disagree … My Administration will find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity and to other political violence, including the organizations that fund it and support it … [the] radical left political violence has hurt too many innocent people and taken too many lives.”
This is classic Trump hypocrisy. He routinely names and demonizes judges, FBI agents, Justice Department lawyers, political opponents, businesses, and activists—knowing full well that his rhetoric will inspire violence, as it did on January 6, subsequently pardoning and lionizing many of the 1,600 insurrectionists who had been convicted in court.
Here is Trump, telling America he will use the resources of the federal government to silence his political opponents. This is not democracy – it is fascism.
What History Teaches
Many politicians, academics, historians, have concluded that America is no longer a democracy; whether America is an authoritarian or fascist society could be debated, but either way, America is no longer a democracy.
Timothy Synder is a historian who has studied fascism. In a recent interview he said:
“…the way that you beat fascism is with coalition[s] … you get to a majority by including people who don’t agree about everything. It has to be [a] clear majority because [the fascists] are ruthless … the more protesting there is the more chance …” you can defeat the fascist.
This is not the America I want for my grandkids.
What Can You Do?
If you believe America should be a democracy that works for all Americans, I hope you will consider attending the next major political rally, No Kings on October 18. Other pro-democracy events are happening around the country.
Hayward Zwerling 9/12/2025
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*Appendix:
Here is a synopsis of Charlie Kirk’s recent statements. Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/charlie-kirk-controversies-1.7630859
Gun control:
“It’s worth it to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year, so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights,” … “That is a prudent deal.”
Civil rights:
Kirk decried not only Martin Luther King Jr., calling the civil rights leader “awful” and “not a good person,” but also the Civil Rights Act of 1965 that outlawed discrimination on the basis of race, colour, religion, sex and national origin, and prohibited segregation. “I have a very, very radical view on this, but I can defend it, and I’ve thought about it,” Kirk said. “We made a huge mistake when we passed the Civil Rights Act in the 1960s.”
Abortion:
“It is a growing consensus in the pro-life world that abortion is never medically necessary,” he told one female student, who then asked, if someone raped his hypothetical 10-year-old daughter, would he want the child to be born. “The answer is, yes, the baby would be delivered,” he said.
Women’s Rights:
He encouraged Taylor Swift to “Reject feminism. Submit to your husband, Taylor. You’re not in charge.”
Gaza:
“Israel is not starving Gazans”
Empathy:
“I can’t stand the word empathy, actually. I think empathy is a made up new age term that does a lot of damage.”