With the official funeral of murdered conservative activist Charlie Kirk still hours away (at time of writing), people around the world are gathering to hold memorial vigils of their own. It’s a measure of the impact Kirk’s too-short life had on the world that, even in far-away Launceston, hundreds of people braved a bitter, windy, Tasmanian early-spring evening to come together on the banks of the Tamar river and pay respects to a man whose life and work clearly touched them profoundly.
A number of things were immediately noticeable about the event. Firstly, flags: lots of Australian flags. Kirk may have been an American, but he awakened a sense of patriotism that clearly many in Australia wish to recapture. He may have been a Yank, but his message was universal.
Secondly was how widely the ages of those attending ranged. While there were plenty of greybeards, young families and younger people were abundant. Several speakers still in their teens took the mic to talk passionately about the impact of Kirk’s death and their faith. This is another predominant factor: Kirk’s Christian faith is well known and it is clearly reflected in many of his followers.
But if there was one thing nearly every attendee I spoke to nominated as the thing that mattered most to them about Charlie Kirk, it was simple: ‘He spoke truth.’ Truth was a word heard over and over this chilly and windy evening. Not just Biblical truth, despite the devoutly Christian nature of the vigil, but truth about so many things that we’re compelled to lie about in this age of universal deceit: that sex and gender are the same and biologically unchangeable, that freedom of speech is the highest good in a democracy and that violence is unacceptable as a stand-in for respectful dialogue.
And they spoke eloquently of their shock and bewilderment that a young family man was murdered in cold blood, simply for wanting people to talk to one another and stop telling obvious lies. Time will tell whether this is a moment of lasting catalyst, but the sense is that this senseless murder was a last straw. That something has to change – and that many people are ready to make it happen.
How, they seem unsure, just yet, but it seems that a sleeping giant has been awakened.
(A video report of the event will be published on the Good Oil tomorrow.)
