The sudden and violent death of the American activist Charlie Kirk, who rallied a youth movement and held celebrity status among his fans, has sparked fierce debate over his political legacy.
The 31-year-old's young supporters appreciated his conservative Christian values and frank opinions. Speaking to the BBC, many were in tears as they remembered a man who listened to them and understood their concerns.
His views were polarising on the college campuses where he held large events, and his provocative speeches would draw crowds of vocal opponents as well as fans.
Kirk was a strong supporter of gun rights, vehemently opposed abortion, was critical of transgender rights and promoted false claims about Covid-19. He wasn't shy when it came to expressing his views - and his detractors also didn't hold back.
Now, both supporters and opponents have been left shaken after he was killed by a single shot on stage while debating at a university in Utah.
I am sad, distraught, said the left-wing influencer Dean Withers, 21, who is known for posting about political issues and debating conservatives, including Kirk.
In an emotional video posted to his millions of followers, Withers said gun violence is always disgusting, always vile and always abhorrent.
Many of the tributes referencing gun violence openly pushed back on disturbing comments online that implied Kirk deserved to be shot because of his position on gun rights, which included the view that more people should own weapons and some shooting deaths were inevitable.
Those comments also reflect a broader conversation in the wake of his death. As people paid tribute to Kirk and shared condolences to his wife and children, many also stressed that regardless of the person's viewpoints, political violence is never justifiable.
Withers, for example, said he never agreed with Kirk's ideas, but stressed this should never have happened.
It should come as no shock that I think Charlie Kirk was a bad person - I've made that very clear over the last year, he said. But does that mean I think he deserves to lose his life? No.
Encouraging and taking part in fierce, open debates was central to Kirk's professional success and his personal worldview. When people stop talking, that's when you get violence, Kirk says in a video that has been widely shared since his death.
When people stop talking, he adds, that's when civil war happens, because you start to think the other side is so evil and they lose their humanity.
In the aftermath, many have started to deliberate Kirk's legacy as a political activist. Supporters recall how he made conservative beliefs more acceptable among young people, while critics highlight the divisive nature of his statements on LGBTQ+ rights, gun control, and other hot-button issues. The conversation speaks to a larger socio-political context, questioning how political discourse is evolving in a climate of increased polarization.
