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The Right to Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Assassination. *Don’t.

The Right to Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Assassination. *Don’t.

Last updated on: September 16, 2025 at 7:14 pm by Jeff Hood

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The Right to Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Assassination. *Don’t. 2025-09-16T19:14:42-06:00 Jeff Hood

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Free Speech

JasonCarswell / Wikimedia Commons

**You Have the Right to Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Assassination. *Don’t.**

Free Speech Protects the Words We Hate

Free speech is difficult. It is uncomfortable, dangerous and necessary. It protects words we despise. It protects words that make us angry. That is why you should have the right to celebrate Charlie Kirk’s assassination. The law must allow it. The state cannot and must not silence your words, even when they shock or disturb. Without that protection, free speech is meaningless.

Rights vs. Morality

But rights do not dictate morality. Rights give us the ability to act…but they do not tell us what is wise, what is just or what is human. Celebration is not the same as freedom. Celebration is vengeance dressed as liberty. And we must be clear…no one should never justify an assassination. Not for politics. Not for revenge. Not for personal satisfaction. To justify it is to become the shadow of what we claim to oppose.

The Temptation to Celebrate Death

Charlie Kirk built a career on outrage. He fed fear. He mocked the weak. He flattered the powerful. He called cruelty conviction. Many despised him. Many will feel relief now that he is gone. Relief is natural. Relief is human. But relief is not license to celebrate. Relief is not permission to step into darkness with joy. Celebration crosses that line.

Violence Begets Violence

To celebrate an assassination is to mirror cruelty. Violence begets violence. Words that glorify death spiral outward. Joy rooted in destruction poisons the heart. It all erodes the very humanity we claim to defend.

Free Speech Without Cruelty

We must defend free speech…even when it’s ugly…even when it is horrifying. Freedom protects speech we detest…because without that protection, all speech is at risk. But protecting the right to speak does not require indulgence in cruelty.

The Power of Restraint

Restraint is powerful. Restraint is revolutionary. To refuse to cheer death is to carve life out of chaos. Tyranny thrives on vengeance. Freedom thrives on mercy. Celebration binds us to cycles of cruelty. Rejoicing in death teaches our hearts to love destruction.

Remembering the Living

And we must remember the living. Charlie Kirk was loved. People are mourning him. Their grief is real…and it does not vanish because he was controversial. Whatever relief we feel, we cannot mock or diminish their sorrow. Sympathy for those left behind is not weakness. It is the tether that keeps us human. It reminds us that life is real, that grief is real and that compassion matters even when we disagree.

The Price of Free Speech

Free speech is risk. We will hear words that disgust us. We will hear words that glorify violence. That is part of freedom. But its promise is greater than the risk…no government can dictate what we may utter. That promise is worth protecting…even when it challenges our morality.

Yes, you should have the right to celebrate Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Protect that right. Defend it. Let words exist. Let the law stand. But of course, you shouldn’t celebrate. Celebration is corrosive. Celebration is a lie. Celebration confuses liberty with vengeance. Celebration abandons compassion for cruelty. Protect the right…yes…but rise above the temptation. Choose words that give life instead of poison. Choose mercy. Choose sympathy for the living. Refuse to ever celebrate an assassination.

We live in a time of great tension. We must endure. Thus, is the price of freedom.

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About The Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood

The Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood is a theologian, writer and activist who has spent years ministering to people on death row. As a spiritual advisor and witness to executions, he speaks out against state violence and calls for a society rooted in justice, mercy and the sacredness of life. You can read more about the author here.

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