-Analysis-
PARIS — A huge gathering in memory of the influential Donald Trump supporter Charlie Kirk, who was murdered on Wednesday in the United States, took place in London this weekend: 110,000 people gathered at the call of far-right activist Tommy Robinson. Similar reactions were also recorded in Japan, Israel, and South Africa, an outpouring of emotion that far exceeds Kirk’s international notoriety.
Even Eric Zemmour, the leader of the small French far-right Reconquête party, made the trip to London, even if Kirk was virtually unknown in France.
The situation is worth paying attention to, as it is generating a narrative within the international far right that identifies with Trumpism, turning Kirk into a martyr on the path to power.
At the same time, we are also witnessing what we can call a full-blown “alternative truth” campaign surrounding the political orientation of the killer, Tyler Robinson, who was arrested on Friday.
Who is Charlie Kirk’s murderer?
Trump was the first to speak out, immediately denouncing “the left” before even knowing the facts. Since then, we have learned that Tyler Robinson comes from a 100% Republican family, and his political ideas are quite confused. But the idea of a violent Left is convenient for many, while also ignoring the fact that Democratic politicians were assassinated this summer.
This case has also brought back Elon Musk, who had stayed out of politics since his dramatic break with Trump and the collapse of Tesla sales. He spoke via video link at the London rally on Saturday and gave an inflammatory speech. “The left are the party of murder,” he said. “There is so much violence on the left. Our friend Charlie Kirk is murdered, and the left rejoices. These are the people we are dealing with.”
Musk called on the crowd to “fight back or die,” a clear incitement to violence in this tense climate.
Trump’s return to power in January has electrified the far-right movement around the world.
Alice Weidel, the leader of the far-right German party AfD, said that Kirk had been “killed by a fanatic who doesn’t like our way of life,” a statement that suggests a foreigner was involved, even though the killer was born in Utah. The conflation is absolute. It’s the same story in Budapest with Viktor Orban.
Far right emboldened
Trump’s return to power in January has electrified the far-right movement around the world, and it’s feeling emboldened. The culture war being waged by Trump’s supporters is resonating elsewhere. This helps explains why this murder, which took place in a very American context, is having repercussions abroad.
The Trump administration encourages these ideological bridges. Vice President J.D. Vance, whose notable speech in Munich in February clearly articulated the Trump worldview, made a point of meeting with Weidel. And her AFD party continues its rise in Germany: tripling its vote in local elections Sunday in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Kirk’s death is bringing the world’s far-right activists together — and it doesn’t matter if the story is more convoluted than: “the left killed him.” What matters right now is how the story is being told.