On Sunday, September 21, upwards of 100,000 people turned up in Arizona to honor Charlie Kirk, killed nearly two weeks ago on a college campus in Utah. The killing of Kirk was wrong and has nothing to do with getting to a better world, and it actually works against overcoming the oppressive and fascist ideas that Kirk spent his life articulating and defending.
For the truth is this: Charlie Kirk was not some nice, reasonable kid who just loved debating people and had a really open mind and heart. No. He was a stone fascist warrior who could give an intellectual and moral veneer, or surface sheen, to the ugly ideas that make up the essence of MAGA. Those ideas include vicious contempt for Black people, against immigrants, against LGBT people (with a particular venom toward trans people), and especially against women who refuse to submit to male domination. We cover Kirk’s actual thinking elsewhere in this issue and even still only scratch the surface.
The purpose of the memorial was to prepare those who follow Kirk for a “holy war.” All day long, these fascists paraded themselves around as being “holy,” and those who oppose their fascism as being totally amoral. These are people who sadistically gloried in sending innocent people to a torture prison camp in El Salvador, who make a point of separating families of people who desperately flee to this country, who try to make life a living hell for trans youth—and they spent the day on Sunday congratulating themselves for being “moral paragons.”
The decent people who oppose their fascist terror were painted, literally, as “evil.” This includes all those who dare to stand up unarmed against heavily armed ICE thugs, those who give of their time and their resources and their spirit to fight for others, those committed to justice, who risk their very lives to go up against these fascists who hold state power.
Charlie Kirk's Funeral: Stephen Miller on life & legacy
Early on, Stephen Miller pointed “the faithful” to their enemies. Listen to this clip to hear this defender of U.S. capitalism-imperialism. This is an empire built on enslavement and genocide, an empire which has waged heartless wars causing the needless deaths of millions and millions, and that condemns people here and around the world daily to misery and spirit-crushing poverty. Listen for a sense of Miller's hatred for those who he sees as opposing this world, or even getting in the way of his program to preserve it.
It was the job of JD Vance and Erika Kirk to sprinkle holy oil on the warriors. There was some tooth-fairy talk about how “God” had called Charlie and that "God & Charlie" were up there in the sky looking down on everyone and hanging out together. Much was made of Kirk’s sacrifice. Now it is true that there are causes for which people should give their lives—but a) the fascist preservation and reinforcement of oppressive divisions between people is NOT one of them, and b) there is no god who will give you a nice welcome once you’ve done it. The cause to which people should dedicate their lives—and if necessary, sacrifice them—is the cause of ending oppression and injustice, and bringing about human emancipation.
Erika Kirk played a different role. Most of all, she dressed up the patriarchy—the open domination of women by men—as something that could somehow be good for women. The revolutionary leader and author of the new communism, Bob Avakian (BA), has made the point and written extensively on the fact that “The Bible taken literally is a horror,” and people can go here and here to find out why, and why this is especially so in regard to the relations between women and men. BA goes into the enslaving character of religion, including the literal justifications in all the “great holy books” for the grossest kinds of subordination of women, and the literally murderous hatred for LGBT people.
Erika Kirk also forgave the accused killer of her husband; but this too fits into the Christian “division of labor” between the loving Mary and the angry “God the Father.” It was left up to Trump to play the patriarchal avenger, which he did openly and with relish—and ended up setting the real tone and tenor for what is to come.
The memorial for Kirk capped off a week of fascist threats and repressive actions at a breakneck pace. The memorial became a time for them to “get inspired” to do more.
We too must be inspired—inspired not only by the urgent need to prevent the horror these fascists aim to impose, but by the better world we can together bring into being.
As the call from RefuseFascism.org, and open to all, for "The Fall of the Trump Fascist Regime, Beginning November 5, Washington DC,” puts the need powerfully:
The Whole Trump Fascist Regime Must Be Driven From Power!
This Can Be Done. By refusing to surrender the future and our humanity to a vengeful fascist maniac. By millions rising in massive, unrelenting, nonviolent protest and resistance. By defying and refusing to comply with fascist dictates. By walking out. By shutting down. By fearlessly using our platforms and influence to inspire and challenge others to join us.
By doing all this day after day. Coming back stronger in the face of attack and repression. Uniting, not dividing, across many viewpoints and backgrounds. Fostering a collective spirit of courage and righteous fury. Willing to sacrifice for the greater good of defeating this fascism.
We begin now. On November 5th, from across this nation, we pour into DC. From that day forward, we don’t stop until the regime is removed.
History is full of examples where people who had right on their side fought against tremendous odds and were victorious. It is also full of examples of people passively hoping to wait it out, only to get swallowed up by a horror beyond what they ever imagined.
The future is unwritten. WHICH ONE WE GET IS UP TO US.
In the Name of Humanity,
We REFUSE to Accept a Fascist America!
THE FASCIST TRUMP REGIME MUST GO NOW!
