Is the US on the brink of a new era of political violence?

Science Weekly

The Guardian

Science

4.2 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 18 September 2025

⏱️ 21 minutes

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Summary

The murder of political activist Charlie Kirk has prompted fears about rising levels of political violence in the US after a number of high-profile assassinations and attempted assassinations of political figures in recent years. But how connected are these events and do they signal a rise in public support for this kind of violence? To find out Ian Sample speaks to Sean Westwood, an associate professor in political science at Dartmouth College and director of the Polarization Research Lab. He explains how political violence has evolved and why overestimating the support for such acts can be dangerous. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod

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1:20.8	A week ago, the right-wing US political activist Charlie Kirk was murdered.
1:29.8	The fallout was immediate and frenzied, leading to fears that the country was entering a new era of political violence.
1:31.4	Benny, the bullets are only going one way in this country.
1:34.4	They're giving the crazy wing of their party permission to take a shot.
1:38.6	The left, or as Erica put it, the evil doers.
1:41.4	This was a political assassination by the left.
1:44.3	The anti-fascists these days, they seem to be taking a lot of playbooks out of the fascists, out of the brown coats.
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