Charlie Kirk murder: Northern Ireland Assembly parties condemn shooting - but reflect on ongoing justification of Troubles murders
The Assembly's five largest political parties have condemned the murder of US political activist Charlie Kirk - but criticism of the words he spoke also provoked reflections on continued justification of political assassinations during the Troubles.
Mr Kirk, 31, was a married father-of-two and a conservative political commentator in the US who was shot and killed at a Utah Valley University event on Wednesday.
TUV MLA Timothy Gaston led condemnation of the murder in the assembly yesterday.
"Charlie Kirk stood firmly for Christian and conservative principles, advocating for family, faith, and liberty," he said.
"He gave a voice to those with Christian and conservative views by defending the right to speak without fear of censorship or intimidation."
Giving a list of politicians murdered by loyalists and republicans in Northern Ireland, he added: "Politically motivated murder is and was always wrong. We need only look at our own history."
DUP MLA Diane Forsythe lauded the words of his widow since his murder.
She said: "On Friday night, we saw Erica Kirk, Charlie's wife, speak publicly with grace and incredible strength. She spoke to the evildoers and told them, You have no idea of the fire you have ignited. The crimes of this widow will echo around the world like a battle cry."
SINN FEIN MLA Sinead Ennis said there was "no justification" for the killing and that his murder "was wrong".
She added that there is "a huge responsibility in terms of what we say and the impact that that can have, and we must be mindful of the language that we use".
But UUP MLA Jon Burrows took issue with Sinn Fein's comments, recalling the IRA murder of academic and UUP politician Edgar Graham as he stepped out of QUB in 1983.
He said: "I don't think it is appropriate when we are acknowledging a terrible crime and atrocity that we witnessed last week to in any way bring in a conversation about responsible language.”
He said there is a responsibility on everyone in the assembly to affirm "that violence is wrong, but always has been wrong".
Alliance MLA Eoin Tennyson described his murder as "an act of political cowardice" and said there is "no place for political violence in any society",
He went on to praise Mr Kirk's talents as a debater and organiser, despite the fact that he disagreed with almost everything he said.
SDLP MLA Matthew O'Toole said: "I didn't agree really with anything that Charlie Kirk said, and I thought a lot of what he said was abhorrent and wrong".
But he said he and his party "have always believed that political violence of that kind wasn't just morally wrong, it was profoundly counterproductive".
For DUP MLA Paul Frew Mr Kirk "warned against intolerant liberalism and the totalitarian left, but he preached libertarianism” and his legacy "will be stronger in death”.
DUP MLA Jonathan Buckley said his voice “resonated with a generation, especially young people who saw in him a rare form of leadership, unafraid, unfiltered and unshaken".
His party colleague Philip Brett said the murder had been an attack on the democratic process "which we should all hold dear - that of freedom, that of tolerance and that of respect".
Speaker Edwin Poots thanked members for the respectful handling of the issue and reminded them there will be a round table meeting on Wednesday about their personal safety, in light of "the abuse and so forth that is ongoing".