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Before the deadly attack, few leaders of Europe’s rising right-wing movement had mentioned Charlie Kirk. After last week, though, the propaganda potential of his killing has escaped none of them.

What Happened

Kirk, an influential voice within the former president’s Maga movement, was hit in the neck while addressing a crowd in Utah on September 10. A 22-year-old suspect faces accusations, though his alleged motives remain unclear.

Political Exploitation

Despite this, right-wing leaders from across Europe using the killing to criticize progressive movements, presenting the event as an inevitable result of what they portray a long-running hate campaign designed to silencing them.

“It’s time to halt the divisive left!” declared Hungary’s prime minister. Spain’s Vox leader went further: “Suppression is not enough for them – they turn to murder.”

Jordan Bardella argued that “dehumanising rhetoric from opponents … fuels political violence”. Alice Weidel said the activist had been targeted by “a fanatic who hates our way of life”.

Building a Symbol

The goal, analysts note, is to raise Kirk to the status of a symbol for the conservative cause, and a victim of liberal-progressive persecution – at the same time giving more credibility to the right’s positions, and inflicting damage on the left.

“Martyrdom is a social operation to recast a ethically wrong crime into a message,” noted a historian. “Here, the far right is creating a plot of targeting, with one executioner: the left.”

Some on Europe’s far right were surprisingly candid about capitalizing on the event. “We should not be ashamed in ‘politicising Kirk’s death – or putting a tragedy to good use,” stated an adviser associated with Marine Le Pen’s circle.

Rallying Support

At a political event organized by Vox in Madrid, a emotional montage to the activist impressed the crowd. To loud cheers, Abascal told thousands that the left “attack us for being fascists – they call us fascists in order to justify violence”.

Portugal’s Chega leader claimed the killing showed that “debate” had given way to “hatred, persecution and murder”. Giorgia Meloni told the rally, stating that his “sacrifice … demonstrates once again where the aggression and intolerance are on … Our fight without rest for liberty.”

In London, a large protest organized by a British activist – featuring supporters from multiple countries, Europe, and abroad – observed a minute’s silence for their hero.

Growing Influence

These actions would carry less weight if right-wing parties were not already on the march. Populist and far-right parties are holding power in Italy, Eastern Europe, Belgium, and Central Europe, and are the most popular parties in multiple states, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, and the UK.

Up north and Croatia, they are signed-up members of right-leaning governments, and in Scandinavia, they lend backing to a coalition. In the south, Vox is surging in the polls, and in the Iberian Peninsula, Chega is ahead ahead of upcoming votes.

More insidiously, hardline positions – on immigration, Islam, the environment, EU integration, traditional values – are gaining acceptance across Europe as established groups copy their approaches in a vain attempt to maintain their vote shares.

Holding the Line

Through a strongly-worded article, a European politician – who faced death threats after objecting to calls for a tribute for the activist – wrote that while the murder was an atrocity, he had “promoted division, advocated women stay at home, demonised LGBT rights, blamed Jews for supporting immigration … and equated reproductive rights to the Holocaust”.

She was the only one to speak out and demand that a distinction be made between condemning the killing and endorsing the victim’s views.

“They do not seek respect for the dead they want; it’s the justification to attack the people who do not resemble them … It is not freedom of speech they defend, it is the normalisation of their radical views. In America, as in Europe.”

In the present circumstances, resisting the organized effort for making him a symbol – “staying calm, remaining true to our principles” – is of critical significance.