Views on Political Extremism at Georgetown
There’s no room for compromise with the radical left. I’m Shae McInnis, and I lead the College Republicans at Georgetown University. Recently, we marked the anniversary of Charlie Kirk’s murder with a candlelight vigil. In response, some leftist students celebrated. They took to an anonymous social media platform at Georgetown and shared hundreds of messages reveling in Kirk’s death, discussing plans for a Charlie Kirk lookalike contest, and even doxxing conservative students. Numerous posts wished their peers a “Happy Kirkaversary,” with some even organizing parties for the occasion. One particularly shocking post, which garnered over 900 upvotes, proclaimed, “I want to get an abortion in honor of the kirkaversary.” Another post darkly joked about Kirk burning in hell, asserting “My fucking flesh is literally melting off! There is no salvation to be found in the depths of hell.” There was even a disturbing image shared of Kirk’s head attached to a sprinkler system, with water pouring from where his neck would be.
This behavior isn’t new at Georgetown. Just weeks after Kirk’s murder last year, posters appeared across campus by the “John Brown Club.” These posters included the phrase “Hey Fascist Catch!,” echoing the words found on the shell casings used during Kirk’s assassination. They encouraged students to take action beyond mere symbolic resistance, stating that the John Brown Club “celebrated when Nazis die.” A troubling statistic shows that about 30 percent of college students nationwide believe that it’s acceptable to use violence to silence speakers on campus. This isn’t an isolated issue, and honestly, it shouldn’t come as a surprise.
Perhaps these leftist students are looking up to their national figures. Over a dozen Democratic candidates running for Congress in 2026 have aligned themselves with influential figures like Hasan Piker, including Michigan Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed. Piker has made controversial statements to his large following, including claims that America deserved the 9/11 attacks, calls for violence against Senator Rick Scott, and remarks suggesting that he seeks to dismantle the white race. He has even bluntly stated that he “wipes his ass” with the Constitution. In a sense, Piker positions himself as an adversary to the United States.
It’s high time conservatives acknowledge that the radical left isn’t simply a legitimate political faction. Hasan Piker, along with those who ally with him—be they political candidates or the students celebrating Kirk’s murder—pose serious threats to civil society. They must never be allowed to gain power, and more importantly, their ideas should be wholly removed from American political dialogue.
When Georgetown’s new president, Eduardo Peñalver, took office, he expressed a desire to lessen political polarization, stating, “My impression is Georgetown is comparatively doing well with that, but it’s not something we can take for granted.” However, seeking to reduce polarization seems futile—or even undesirable—when faced with leftist extremism. The celebrations surrounding Kirk’s murder highlight a worldview that shouldn’t just be tolerated. There’s a pressing need to distinguish ourselves from those celebrating such violence against Kirk. We must reinforce our commitment to the values and traditions that define the West, rather than allow ourselves to be drawn into the same abyss as those who rejoice in political violence. There can be no compromise; we must prevail, while they must not.
Yet, it would be simplistically naive to view the celebrations of Charlie Kirk’s tragic murder as merely a political issue without considering the deeper moral decay it signifies. The foundation of Western political order rests on the belief that every human being is endowed with equal dignity by God, which shouldn’t be compromised for political gain. The current political climate shows how the post-Christian left has begun to disregard this essential principle, revealing their perspective where someone like Charlie Kirk is merely seen as an obstacle to their ambitions rather than a human being with rights. When dignity is disregarded, political violence seems almost rational.
Conservatives could never—and should never—respond to leftist violence in kind. That would betray everything conservatism stands for, connected to enduring principles, what Russell Kirk termed the “transcendent moral order.” At the same time, it would be reckless to be complacent. Observing our peers celebrate Charlie Kirk’s death ought to be a wake-up call for all conservative students. This kind of extremism isn’t going to stop with Kirk; any outspoken conservative could become a target in the eyes of some radical individuals. We need to treat this issue with the seriousness it deserves, staying politically aware while remaining rooted in our principles.
