In the aftermath of the shooting death of American right-wing activist Charlie Kirk during a ‘Prove Me Wrong’ speaking event at Utah Valley University, Canadian leaders of all stripes have joined in the chorus of condemnation of the apparently politically motivated killing.
Prime Minister Mark Carney posted on X last night, that he’s ‘appalled by the murder of Charlie Kirk’, adding that ‘there is no justification for political violence and every act of it threatens democracy.’
Conservative opposition leader Pierre Poilievre posted earlier in the day yesterday, saying as well that political violence can never be justified, while demanding that the shooter be brought to justice. Poilievre added “free speech must be upheld’.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith also commented, saying the violence must be ‘condemned without reservation.’
Others like Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet, Liberal MP Anthony Housefather, and former NDP MP Charlie Angus have also condemned the violence and extended their condolences to Charlie Kirk’s family.
American authorities say the shooter had fired a single rifle shot from the roof of a nearby college building during Kirk’s speaking event before disappearing into the woods nearby. A manhunt for Kirk’s killer remains underway in the United States today, with the FBI recently releasing photos of a person of interest in the case.
Kirk’s body had been flown back to his hometown of Phoenix, Arizona aboard Air Force Two.
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