Information Incident Notification: Ripple Effects of the Charlie Kirk Assassination in the Canadian Information Ecosystem
Overview
What happened: On September 10, 2025, Charlie Kirk, prominent American right-wing activist and founder of Turning Point USA, was assassinated while at a public rally on the campus of Utah Valley University.
Impact: His death has resulted in a surge of highly charged and polarized online conversations, disinformation and calls for political violence in the American but also Canadian information environment. Canadian commentators have been targeted and Canadian politicians from across the political spectrum have weighed in, warning about the dangers of political violence and ideological disagreement. Foreign states, such as Russia, China, and Iran, have demonstrated interest in amplifying the polarizing discourse.
Why it matters: The assassination has been followed by a massive amount of polarized online discussions in the Canadian information ecosystem, fuelling disinformation, partisan conflict, and mobilization exposing the risk of targeted and/or large scale unrest and physical harm.
What happened?
Incident Classifications: Disinformation, misinformation, domestic manipulation, USA, foreign influence, polarization, extremism and/or radicalization online
Origin: The incident originated on September 10, 2025, in the United States, when prominent right-wing activist Charlie Kirk was shot and killed during a public event at Utah Valley University. At the moment of the shooting, Kirk was engaged in a debate about mass shootings with a member of the public. This was a characteristic of his career as founder of Turning Point USA, where he would venture across the USA to university campuses and engage in political debates on contentious issues including abortion, women’s rights, race, LGBTQA+ rights, Ukraine-Russia, and Israel-Palestine. These interactions were usually filmed and uploaded to his social media accounts, where online discourse would often center on particularly sharp and sensational small clips of the conversations.
Following this incident, politicians and international figures condemned the act of political violence. While supporters of Kirk posted tributes of Kirk and framed him as a martyr and advocate for free speech, other critics pointed to his previous remarks to challenge his commemoration. This has led to increasing domestic and international polarization, calls for rebellion and violence, disinformation, and has potentially fuelled radicalization online. Individuals who have spoken out about the matter have been targets (some have been investigated by their employers and lost their jobs, for example), leaving a chilling effect on free speech.
These tensions have spread into Canada, increasing growing concern over free speech, culture wars, and political violence. A University of Toronto professor has been placed on leave after comments related to Kirk’s shooting, an Ottawa man was charged after making posts about Kirk and threatening a school, and vigils across Canada for Kirk (e.g. Winnipeg, Calgary, and Regina) have been, in some cases, met with protestors.
Motive and Tactic: Though the motive of the attack remains under investigation, Canadian and international commentators have interpreted the event as a political assassination. Prominent Canadian politicians including Danielle Smith and Pierre Poilievre have stressed that Kirk was killed for his views, echoing these claims of ideological persecution.
Scope and Reach: One week after the event, the story continues to be prominent in the Canadian online conversation. This incident has also garnered international media attention and public interest. Beyond Canada, individuals in other countries including the UK, Spain, and Australia have gathered for vigils in remembrance of Kirk. Online Canadian news sites including Juno news and Rebel News have covered the criticisms of progressive Canadians' responses and pointed to potential hostility towards conservatives. Previous videos of Kirk commenting on Canadian politics have re-surfaced. Prominent foreign state media organizations, including Russia, China and Iran, have also seized on the political moment to push polarizing narratives and divisive international politics and generally exploit the events.
Impact: This incident intensifies concern over whether political division and violence may increase in Canada. Many voices point to threats against free speech and ideological intolerance, and also caution against increasing radicalization and depicting Kirk as a martyr. The perpetrators' potential ties to online cultures (e.g. memetic inscriptions on bullet casings) illustrate concern for online platforms as a source of radicalization.
Click here for a detailed timeline of events.
Why does this matter?
The assassination of Kirk underscores the threat of potential spillover of political violence into Canada. Canada’s media ecosystem and political landscape is intermittently tied to the United States, often reactionary to the political affairs south of the border. Acts of violence in the US can influence domestic polarization and radicalization and threats of violence and uncertainty. Polarization has increased online, with Canadian outlets such as True North Wire and Rebel News critiquing progressive Canadians’ responses to Kirk’s death. Meanwhile, progressive and left-leaning commentators point to the controversy around Kirk as a political figure and the policies he had advocated for. Commentators such as Rachel Gilmore have been at the centre of online harassment and threats for her comments about Kirk. A Canadian Conservative, MP Andrew Scheer, has even chimed in, claiming Gilmore as ‘twisted’ and had ‘so much hate in her’. Canadian politicians, including Pierre Poilievre and Danielle Smith have framed the death of Kirk as a warning against ideological prosecution, tying the incident to partisan differences. This illustrates how US polarization is pulled into the forefront of Canadian political discourse. Further, increasing online partisan polarization and efforts to dox individuals who speak critically about Kirk reveal the tenuous nature of free speech and a potential chilling effect in the Canadian media ecosystem.
This event has also sparked increased false information, disinformation, and conspiracy theories that enter the Canadian media ecosystem. This includes misleading narratives about the shooter’s motives and background and the security of the Utah Valley University event. For example, information regarding the shooter’s connections to the trans community and the nature of the relationship with his roommate can be used to reinforce existing and harmful stereotypes that trans individuals are violent. Inaccurate information and disinformation can be used as a political tool in the Canadian context to shape public perception and opinion related to public safety and social issues by exploiting grievances.
Recent vigils held across Canada and attended by thousands of Canadians demonstrate the deep ties between US and Canadian political culture. It illustrates how Kirk has significant influence amongst right-wing politics in Canada, underscoring the potential for transnational right-wing mobilization. Previous footage of Kirk’s comments about Canada has also resurfaced and received increased engagement. This demonstrates the influence of the online ecosystem in amplifying right-wing politics across the border and mobilizing Canadians to gather in collective action.
What are we doing about it?
This notification launches an investigation, led by the Canadian Digital Media Research Network (CDMRN), into the online responses to the assassination of Charlie Kirk and overall impacts to the Canadian media ecosystem.
Key questions we are focusing on:
Content: What are the major claims, narratives, and mobilizations that have emerged in Canadian online conversations in the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s assassination? How are different groups framing the events?
Network: Which Canadian influencers, media outlets, and political figures have focused on Kirk’s assassination? How are their claims and narratives being shared, supported and contested across different online communities? To what extent is the Canadian conversation being driven by international actors?
Impact: What level of engagement have these claims and narratives received in the Canadian information ecosystem? Have they meaningfully shaped political discourse in Canada on issues such as free speech, extremism, culture wars, and polarization?
The CDMRN and research partners will address these questions through a combination of techniques including survey and social media analysis. In the coming weeks, we will release incident updates on these and, where appropriate, other topics.
Research partners
This incident response notification is issued by the Canadian Digital Media Research Network (CDMRN). Organizations contributing to this response include: DisinfoWatch, the DFRLab, and the Media Ecosystem Observatory. Other experts may be added as the incident evolves.
Key contacts
The following is a list subject matter experts involved in the investigation that are available for contact:
Aengus Bridgman,
Director, Media Ecosystem Observatory
aengus.bridgman@mcgill.ca
Expertise: Mis- and disinformation, social media network analysis, narrative analysis
Jennie Phillips
Incident Commander/Director, Project on Information Ecosystem Resilience jennie.phillips@mcgill.ca
Expertise: Disaster & emergency Management, public education and capacity building, complex networks, resilience
Marcus Kolga
Director, DisinfoWatch
marcuskolga@gmail.com
Expertise: Central and Eastern European politics; disinformation and propaganda; media and foreign policy
Layla Mashkoor
Deputy Director of Research, Digital Forensic Research Lab lmashkoor@atlanticcouncil.org
Expertise: Foreign interference, information manipulation, social media analysis, tech policy
Isabelle Corriveau
Director, Public Engagement and Strategy
isabelle.corriveau2@mcgill.ca