Manitoba Minister Apologizes for Social Media Reaction to Charlie Kirk’s Murder

A Manitoba provincial cabinet minister is apologizing for reposting a comment on social media about the assassinated conservative American influencer Charlie Kirk.

“I apologize for sharing a post yesterday on the murder of Charlie Kirk,” Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine said in a Sept. 12 Instagram story post.

“Violence has no place in our democracy. Political debate is achieved with words and discussion. In a world too often divided, we should strive to show empathy to everyone even those we don’t agree with.”

Fontaine’s apology comes a day after she reposted a comment on Instagram that called Kirk a “racist, xenophobic, transphobic, islamophobic, sexist, white nationalist mouthpiece who made millions of dollars inciting hatred in this country.”

The post accused Kirk of denying genocide, pushing for mass deportations, and “normalizing Trumpism,” saying the 31-year-old “stood for nothing but hate.”

“I extend absolutely no empathy for people like that,” the post said. “In this situation, my empathy is reserved for his children. May they grow up to live in a country that is the total opposite of everything their father envisioned.”

Kirk was shot in the neck on Sept. 10 as he was speaking at an event at Utah Valley University, and was later declared dead.

He was the founder of the conservative national student organization Turning Point USA and was at his first stop of a new speaking tour at the time he was shot.

Kirk advocated for traditional values, and called for open dialogue on all issues.

Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said on Sept. 12 that he asked Fontaine to issue an apology after he learned of the post, adding that he won’t remove her from her position.

“I asked our minister to apologize because I want us to be … a force for openness and dialogue and taking the temperature down,” Kinew told reporters.

Kinew condemned the murder of Kirk on Sept. 10, calling the act “deeply disturbing” and saying political violence is never the answer.

“Within our democracy, there is no place for violence,” Kinew said at a Sept. 10 press conference. “If you disagree with somebody, if you object to the way that they conduct themselves in public, the way to settle that is through our public discourse and our public sphere, with peace.”

“Our condolences to his wife and children,” Kinew said in a Sept. 10 post on X.

Backlash

Several others have faced backlash for comments about Kirk’s assassination.

The University of Toronto (U of T) has placed a political science and religion professor, Ruth Marshall, on leave after she made comments in a social media post about the assassination of Kirk, saying “Shooting is honestly too good for so many of you fascist [expletive].”

Meanwhile, a former employee of Legal Aid BC, Devon Cassidy, made comments in a video that has circulated online, celebrating the murder of Kirk saying “finally, finally, somebody with a gun… went and shot somebody on the right side.” She went on to say “thank you, can we keep this up please?”

Following Cassidy’s comments, Legal Aid BC said it denounces the “deeply offensive” video, which it said contains views that don’t align with the organization’s values, principles, or mission.