Jeremy Clarkson has delivered a rather stark warning to Nigel Farage and those on the political right after witnessing the killing of Charlie Kirk and the subsequent reaction from certain social media users.
On Wednesday, 31-year-old political commentator Mr Kirk was shot in the neck at a Utah university where he was holding an event to debate attendees about a wide range of issues.
Mr Kirk was shot in the neck once and later died of his injuries. The police arrested 22-year-old Tyler Robinson after the suspect’s father contacted local law authorities.
A motive for the assassination has yet to be released by authorities, and it’s believed Mr Robinson could face the death penalty if convicted.
Tributes from across the UK and the US flooded in following Mr Kirk’s death, including from President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
However, there was also an outpouring of shameful celebratory social media posts from thousands of Mr Kirk’s critics. British punk duo Bob Vylan have become the latest to spark outrage with their “vile” remarks about Mr Kirk during a gig in Amsterdam on Saturday.
Clarkson’s Farm’s Mr Clarkson was one of the first famous faces to react to the news of Mr Kirk’s shooting on Wednesday evening, admitting that he was now “frightened” to be a newspaper columnist due to the killing.
Writing in his latest newspaper column, Mr Clarkson has gone one step further, delving into his worries for the left and what the future may hold for those politically opposed to their ideologies.
LATEST CHARLIE KIRK DEVELOPMENTS:
Coldplay’s Chris Martin sparks leftist meltdown as he pays tribute to Charlie Kirk at London gigStephen King forced into Charlie Kirk apology after claiming he advocated ‘stoning gay people’Appalling moment ‘death to the IDF’ singer Bob Vylan celebrates Charlie Kirk’s assassination onstage
Mr Clarkson admitted that while he “didn’t necessarily agree” with everything that Mr Kirk would say in his debates, he did enjoy watching him due to his “quick mind”.
However, Mr Clarkson conceded that Mr Kirk had his fair share of critics, whom the former Top Gear star described as “angry, pink-haired, leftie people who get their ‘truth’ from Instagram and spend their afternoons pulling down statues and throwing soup at paintings”.
The Grand Tour star used his Sunday Times column to delve into why the left seems angrier now more than ever, musing that perhaps lefties had been living “in a permanent state of rage” for years, but people were unaware before the age of social media.
One thing he did seem certain of, however, is that “in the short form of social media, there’s no room for nuance or pleasantries” when it comes to political debate.
“You’d imagine such an act of savagery would cause the pink-haired people to pause for a moment and reflect on their direction of travel. But no,” Mr Clarkson penned.
“They took to social media in a state of glee, and in the US Congress, leftie Democrats shouted. That’s how bad the situation is becoming.”
Mr Clarkson was then keen to clarify that the worrying state of affairs wasn’t exclusive to counterparts Stateside either.
“It’s no good saying we are safe in the UK because the average leftie doesn’t have access to a gun. The average Islamist doesn’t have access to explosives, and that didn’t stop the 7/7 bombings,” he pointed out.
He signed off with the stark warning: “If I were Nigel Farage, I’d be a worried man.”
Mr Clarkson’s warning comes after what has been a successful year for Mr Farage’s Reform UK party.
Reform UK has performed well in the polls against Mr Starmer’s Labour Party, but as such, opposition voices have grown louder.
Mr Farage himself paid tribute to Mr Kirk following his death. In an opinion piece for GB News, Mr Farage admitted he felt the news “very, very strongly”.
“Charlie was, without doubt, the most dynamic young Republican in America. He had a following of millions, and even here in the UK his profile was rising — particularly after his impressive speech at the Oxford Union last month,” he added.
Elsewhere, Mr Clarkson’s Clarkson’s Farm co-star Harriet Cowan showed her support for Mr Kirk’s widow Erika with a sweet social media gesture on Friday.