Before the Blood is Dry.

On September 10th, 2025, conservative activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot while speaking at Utah Valley University during his “American Comeback Tour.” According to confirmed reports, he was discussing subjects such as gun violence and “transgender ideology” moments before the attack occurred.

Since then, investigators have recovered a high-powered rifle and released images of a person of interest – but as of now, no motive or confirmed identity of the shooter has been released.

Despite this, within hours, false claims began spreading online suggesting that the shooter was transgender or that their actions were driven by so-called “transgender ideology.”

This is the danger of propaganda in the social media age: speculation becomes “truth” in minutes, shaping public opinion long before official investigations conclude.

The narrative forming around this tragedy is familiar: painting a marginalised group as unstable, dangerous, or a threat to society, despite no evidence linking that community to this act of violence.

Such narratives don’t emerge by accident. They serve a purpose: to fuel cultural division, to stoke fear, and to create a scapegoat. And once seeded, they are hard to erase, even when later proven false.

This tactic (using tragedy to inflame cultural battles) isn’t confined to the United States. We’ve seen it in the UK and globally: politicians lean on “culture war” talking points when economic crises, political scandals, or public safety failures threaten their power.

When the public focuses on blaming a minority group, they’re not asking harder questions about government accountability, systemic violence, or the failure to prevent tragedies in the first place.

It’s a political sleight of hand. And it works, because fear spreads faster than facts.

Always ask yourself – what else is going on, what are they hiding?

The rhetoric that starts in the U.S. often echoes across borders. In the UK, for instance, the language used in American culture wars is already shaping debates on trans rights, free speech, and public safety.

When influential figures or governments amplify false claims after events like this, it doesn’t just harm public understanding – it endangers real people. Hate crimes rise. Laws restricting rights gain support. And entire communities are cast as threats based on little more than rumour.

We need to demand better – from the media, from politicians, and from ourselves as consumers of information.

• Wait for evidence. Don’t share unverified claims, no matter how widely they circulate.
• Hold leaders accountable when they use tragedy as a political weapon.
• Focus on the real issues: safety, justice, and preventing violence – rather than scapegoating vulnerable groups.