The Stigma of discord: Charlie Kirk's murder exposed divisions within the United States

The murder of American Conservative leader Charlie Kirk has exposed the depth of the split within the country, where the crime rate has peaked since the 1960s and 1970s, experts told Izvestia. The so-called "culture wars" have entered a heated phase this time. Half of the people of the United States are convinced that they are on the verge of a NEW civil war. The same rhetoric is being heard from a number of EU states, where the number of attacks on politicians advocating an alternative path of national development has recently increased. About how the US cultural split and the EU political crisis are leading to an increase in violence in the world — in the Izvestia article.

Americans admit the beginning of a new civil war

The shooting of Charlie Kirk, the leader of the American Conservatives, has, without exaggeration, stirred up the whole world. Immediately after the assassination attempt, the White House, and above all, President Donald Trump, called for prayers for him and his family, but a few hours later it became known about his death. The suspect in the murder of Charlie Kirk has been detained and is in custody, the head of the FBI, Kesh Patel, initially announced. However, he was released after the interrogation. Utah Public Safety Commissioner Bo Mason said the suspect is still at large. Thanks to the cameras, it is known that he was "dressed in dark clothes" and fired from a long distance, probably "from the roof," the commissioner added.

After Kirk's murder, the US Secret Service increased security measures during events with the participation of Donald Trump, The Wall Street Journal newspaper writes. In particular, during a baseball game at the Yankees Stadium in New York, which Donald Trump is expected to attend on September 11.

Russians who knew nothing about Kirk immediately read in the media that the 31-year-old Republican activist stood up for traditional values, fiercely criticized LGBT people (the movement is recognized as extremist and banned in Russia) and demanded that military aid to Ukraine be stopped. He called the conflict a "border problem" and urged not to send US soldiers there, noting that the problem of migrants at the border is much more important for his country than the Ukrainian crisis.

Despite the fact that the motive for the murder has not yet been established, and the suspect has not been detained, Kirk's ideology and his close relationship with Donald Trump could be a possible cause of the tragedy, Said Khan, a professor at Wayne University in Detroit, told Izvestia. Earlier, The New York Times wrote that Kirk had visited the White House "hundreds of times" and was a member of a narrow circle of advisers. His task was to check candidates for posts in the Trump administration for political loyalty.

The assassination attempt on Kirk showed the depth of the split in the United States, Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, wrote on his Telegram channel. Indeed, today the United States is experiencing a storm of culture wars. Americans sharply disagree on the most fundamental issues of identity, including race, language, gender and religion, and economics, former Republican Party adviser Jim Jatras told Izvestia.

— We are much more divided than in 1861 [the year of the outbreak of the American Civil War between the North and the South. It is customary to talk about a "cold civil war", which may soon turn into a hot one. The left wants to blame this split on Trump, but in fact it is more a symptom than a cause. "American Gorbachev," who is desperately trying to save a crumbling system and its empire, but instead becomes the catalyst for its collapse, he believes.

Shots fired in Utah: what is known about the assassination attempt on Charlie Kirk

Trump's colleague died in hospital after being shot in the neck.

According to a national Marist Poll, 47% of Americans believe that a new civil war could break out in the United States during their lifetime. In 2024, when the conflict broke out between the Texas authorities and the Joe Biden administration, the situation became more heated than ever. The state was unhappy with the constant waves of illegal migrants.

Governor Greg Abbott began to erect barriers on the border with Mexico, but the US Supreme Court sided with the federal government and decided to remove the barriers. Residents of Texas demanded separation from the United States, and neighboring states sent their armed units to help the Texans.

Against the background of the split and polarization of society, the crime rate is rapidly increasing in the country. The highest increase in the number of murders in modern US history was recorded, CNN reported in 2021. From 2019 to 2020, their number increased by 30%.

— At the moment, we are witnessing an unprecedented rise in political violence in the United States. The last time this happened in American history was during the turbulent period of the 60s and 70s. Democrats perceive Republicans as literally fascists and enemies of democracy, so they see nothing wrong with trying to shoot them," political analyst Malek Dudakov told Izvestia.

The most striking example was the series of assassination attempts on Donald Trump during his 2024 presidential campaign. Both then and now, Trump blamed the rise in violence on leftist forces and the media, which demonized opponents. "For years, the radical left has been comparing wonderful Americans like Charlie to the Nazis and the worst mass murderers and criminals in the world. Such rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we are witnessing in our country today," Trump said.

Why is the number of political assassinations increasing in the West

If we recall all the attempts on high-level politicians in recent years, then not only one Donald Trump comes to mind. Most of the attacks occurred in European countries. The most notorious, of course, must be recognized as the assassination attempt on Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico in May 2024. Despite the fact that the wound turned out to be severe, the politician managed to survive and continue to lead the country. The Slovak government said at the time that their society was highly polarized and on the verge of civil war.

Another high-profile event was the assassination attempt on one of the leaders of the German right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, Tino Krupalla, in the fall of 2023. After the politician was taken to the hospital, a mark from a syringe injection was found on his skin. Another AFD leader, Alice Weidel, was under security protection at the time because she and her family were constantly receiving threats. At that time, the party was rapidly gaining popularity, overtaking all competitors from the ruling coalition and taking second place after the CDU/CSU bloc.

Finally, in early September of this year, against the backdrop of the upcoming parliamentary elections, an attack on former Czech Prime Minister Andrei Babis took place. During an election rally of the ANO ("Action of Dissatisfied Citizens") opposition movement, led by Babish, a pensioner who came up from behind hit the politician several times on the head and back with a crutch. After that, Babish was taken to the hospital, and the attacker was detained by the police. Commenting on this event, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that his country should also prepare for physical violence before the parliamentary elections to be held in the spring of 2026.

A similar increase in the number of political assassinations in Europe was the result of the political crisis in the European Union, Andrei Kortunov, an expert at the Valdai Club, told Izvestia. According to him, this trend fits into the logic of radicalization and polarization of European society, where today there is a lack of tolerance and willingness to discuss certain issues.

That is why politicians who propose an alternative path of development, including on the Ukrainian issue, become victims of assassination attempts. Thus, both Fico and the AfD leaders have repeatedly criticized EU policy and opposed aid to Ukraine. "In the European Union itself, on the one hand, there are weak governments, and on the other, there is a lack of real discussion and opportunities for alternative positions when the most popular parties or leaders, including the AFD, are excluded from elections. This means that the system is not up to the challenges," the expert concluded.