A sunny afternoon at Utah Valley University suddenly became a scene of terror when the right-wing political activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed during a campus event on Wednesday, 10 September. His death was quickly described as an “assassination” by President Trump, and it is the latest in a worrying spate of politically-motivated attacks in the US. So what’s behind this trend? Is political violence becoming normalised?

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Guest: Katy Balls, Washington Editor and Columnist for The Times and The Sunday Times.

Host: Manveen Rana.

Producer: Shabnam Grewal and Micaela Arneson.

Read more:

Search for Utah Valley University shooter after two suspects released

Who was Charlie Kirk? TikTok wizard who conjured up Trump youth vote

Clips: New York Post, Republic TV, CNN, KTLA 5, Fox News, Charlie Kirk via Instagram, President Trump via Truth Social

Photo: Getty Images

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Charlie Kirk and the rise of political violence in the US

The Story

Charlie Kirk and the rise of political violence in the US