‘Political violence is inexcusable’: MLK’s son calls for unity after Charlie Kirk shooting sparks heated online discourse

The conservative commentator’s death has fueled online backlash and reflection. King’s son says healing is the urgent task.

The shooting of Charlie Kirk has further emphasized the bipartisan reality of America today. As social media timelines are split with people grieving a tragic shooting and others highlighting the irony of Kirk—who was an advocate of the right to bear arms—being a fatal victim of gun violence, Martin Luther King Jr.’s son, Martin Luther King III, took to social media to share his thoughts on the discourse the incident has sparked. 

“Violence, no matter the target or justification, is never the answer. The shooting of Charlie Kirk is not only a tragedy for one man—it is a wound to the soul of our nation. It may silence a voice, but it cannot change a heart or heal a nation,” the civil rights activist’s son wrote on X. “While I strongly disagree with Charlie Kirk on most issues, especially his comments about my father, we all agree that political violence is inexcusable. Disagreements must be addressed through civil conversations and free, fair elections.”

He continued: “We must reject hatred and division and remember the sacred dignity in every person. This moment calls us to a higher way—beyond left and right, beyond anger and suspicion—toward peace, reconciliation, and shared humanity. We are praying for his full recovery. May this tragedy lead us not into deeper division, but toward the work of healing and unity that our nation so urgently needs.” 

Kirk died after being shot while speaking at an event at Utah University on September 10. Supporters of the conservative influencer and close ally of President Donald Trump have since flooded social media timelines, comparing Kirk’s assassination to Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination in 1968—a comparison that sparked outrage amongst many communities online, as they recall multiple instances in which Kirk shared very controversial comments about slavery, Black women, gun violence, MLK Jr., and so much more. 

“I think it’s worth [it] to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights,” Kirk said in 2023 in defense of the Second Amendment right to bear arms at a TPUSA Faith event. 

Similarly, in 2023, Kirk called Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “awful,” stating, “He’s not a good person. He said one good thing he actually didn’t believe,” per Wired.

“We made a huge mistake when we passed the Civil Rights Act in the 1960s,” the conservative influencer said of the landmark legislation often associated with King’s activism, claiming it created a “permanent DEI-type bureaucracy” in America. 

“Federal courts just yield to the Civil Rights Act as if it’s the actual American Constitution,” he added. 

The FBI is still looking for Kirk’s shooter.