WASHINGTON: For some Americans on the far right, Charlie Kirk died a “martyr” and any criticism of the hugely popular conservative activist must be punished. Online vitriol and grassroots persecution have exploded in the wake of the assassination of the 31-year-old who had been an electrifying presence on the US right, with the killing further deepening fraught political divisions in the country. Laura Sosh-Lightsy, assistant dean of students at a university in the southern state of Tennessee, found herself in hot water after posting on social media about Kirk’s death. “Hate begets hate.

Within hours of the shooting, videos, photos, and eyewitness accounts began circulating on social media, with users rushing to dissect every frame for clues.

Charlie Kirk was one of the most visible leaders of the young conservative movement who helped shape Republican politics on college campuses and in media.