Lawmakers Decry Online Extremism, Call for Unity After Activist’s Assassination

Following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk last week, lawmakers and officials are intensifying calls for national unity and condemning the internet’s role in fueling political extremism. Senator Chris Coons (D-Delaware) stated Sunday that the internet “is driving extremism in our country,” emphasizing that Kirk “should not have paid with his life for the opportunity to speak out.”

Kirk was tragically shot and killed at Utah Valley University in what authorities described as a “targeted attack,” sparking widespread reflection on the escalating political temperature nationwide. Appearing alongside Coons, Senator James Lankford (R-Oklahoma) echoed concerns about online platforms, noting that algorithms often prioritize “the angriest, who’s the loudest, who says the craziest thing,” drowning out civil discourse.

Utah Governor Spencer Cox, who previously labeled social media a “cancer on our society” in the immediate aftermath of Kirk’s death, reiterated Sunday that these platforms have played a “direct role in every single assassination and assassination attempt that we have seen over the last five, six years.”

Both senators highlighted bipartisan efforts to address online harms, specifically the Kids Online Safety Act, which Coons believes should pass “to help reduce some of the risks and harms to our families and our country from the internet.” Lankford also praised the bill, noting that “we are seeing people radicalize online,” and pointed to positive changes from cell phone bans in Oklahoma schools.

Robert Pape, a University of Chicago professor specializing in political violence, described the nation as being in a “watershed moment,” acknowledging the internet as an “accelerant” but stressing that political leaders must step up to condemn violence and foster respect.

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