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Maryka Groenewald MLC has paid tribute to Charlie Kirk, while condemning political violence and questioning the ABC’s partnership with satirical group The Chaser after it mocked his murder. Yet since his assassination, Kirk’s global influence has soared.

WA Legislative Council member Maryka Groenewald has honoured the life of Charlie Kirk, delivering an address only hours after the 31-year-old’s assassination in Utah.

The Australian Christians’ leader revered Kirk as a husband, father, and Christian who founded one of the world’s most influential conservative youth movements while still in his teenage years.

“It was my sombre privilege to deliver a Member’s Statement in loving memory of Charlie Kirk,” Ms Groenewald said. “Charlie was a husband, father, and Christian who built one of the most influential conservative movements in the world from the age of 18.”

She described Kirk as a man of conviction who empowered young people “to speak boldly in places where conservative and Christian values were routinely silenced.”

Political Violence Condemned

Groenewald insisted Kirk’s death must serve as a wake-up call to the dangers of silencing debate through intimidation or worse. “His assassination is a chilling reminder of the growing threat of political violence,” she declared. “I condemn this violence in the strongest possible terms. No one should fear for their life for speaking the truth.”

Kirk’s influence reached across campuses and churches, inspiring thousands of young Americans to embrace biblical values. Groenewald emphasised that while Kirk engaged his challenger’s questions with courage and clarity, he disdained ridiculing or dehumanising his opponents. This, she suggested, made the mocking of his death all the more appalling.

The Chaser Sparks Outrage

Australians woke up to the news of Kirk’s murder on ‘R U OK?’ day, run by an Australian organisation committed to improving mental health and preventing death through suicide. The initiative encourages people to have sensitive and meaningful conversations with others who may be struggling.

Within hours of Kirk’s death, satirical outlet The Chaser published an article titled “R U OK? Day not going well at Turning Point.” The piece, written by Chaser editor John Delmenico, drew fierce criticism for making light of the murder of a young father.

“It is shameful that within hours of his death, The Chaser published a revolting article mocking the murder of this 31-year-old father”, Groenewald said in response.

“That anyone would see a young man’s assassination as an opportunity for a joke is beyond disgraceful.”

Public anger intensified when The Chaser refused to retract the article or apologise. The article remains live on its website at the time of publishing.

On its ‘about’ page, The Chaser openly boasts about sexual perversion and misuses God’s name (Exodus 20:7). “Since starting at The Chaser”, one of its employee biographies begins, “I’ve seen the company transform from a small VHS pornography distributor operated out of a spare bedroom to a flourishing media empire.

“But… the company [hasn’t] lost touch with their roots. Their CEO is still out there every Sunday, on his pushbike, delivering smutty mags in sealed envelopes to all the local perverts,” the attempt at humour continues.

ABC Accountability Demanded

Groenewald noted that the satirical group collaborates with Easy Tiger Productions to co-produce the television series Optics, which is hosted on ABC iView.

The WA MLC demanded that the ABC respond to The Chaser’s jeering of Kirk’s assassination, considering it has an ongoing working relationship with the outlet.

“Does the ABC intend to maintain its association with an organisation that not only mocked a murder victim but stood by the article, refusing to remove it or apologise?”, Groenewald asked in parliament. “We have a right to ask, and Australians deserve an answer from ABC executives.”

The incident raises questions about the standards applied to the publicly funded broadcaster, which receives more than $1 billion annually in taxpayer funding.

The ABC continues to face criticism for content widely considered hostile to conservative and Christian voices.

In addition, Groenewald’s scrutiny of the ABC comes only days after The Daily Declaration revealed further information about a 1975 interview in which paedophiles openly boasted about preying on boys and sexually exploiting them. Further, the broadcaster misled the Parliament by falsely denying that it no longer held a copy of the interview in a Senate hearing in 2018. While the ABC continues to refuse to release the recording, the paedophile’s admissions of criminal conduct and the evidence of the victims of child sexual abuse remain hidden.

For Groenewald, the ABC’s association with The Chaser is about basic respect for life and avoiding the appearance of condoning murder in public discourse.

Charlie Kirk, she reminded the chamber, lived for “faith, family, life and liberty.” His death, she said, should inspire renewed commitment to those values. “We vale him with gratitude, sorrow, and unwavering respect,” Groenewald concluded.

Kirk’s Global Following Soars Following His Murder

Kirk’s life and legacy continue to resonate among conservative Christians worldwide. Having founded Turning Point USA at age 18, Kirk mobilised young people to defend biblical truth, traditional marriage, and the sanctity of life in the public square.

Within several days of his death, his social media accounts have gained millions more followers, including an extra 3.5 million on Instagram, and close to an additional 2 million and 1 million on TikTok and YouTube, respectively.

Turning Point USA has also seen a significant increase in the number of requests to establish new chapters on American college campuses.

12 Million Charlie Kirks Created Overnight https://t.co/uneUlXzxAk pic.twitter.com/J6IhnhRDAs

— The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) September 12, 2025

His widow, Erika Kirk, has vowed that “in a world filled with chaos, doubt, and uncertainty, my husband’s voice will remain. And it will ring out louder and more clearly than ever. And his wisdom will endure.”

“The evildoers responsible for my husband’s assassination have no idea what they have done. They killed Charlie because he preached a message of patriotism, faith, and God’s merciful love.”

Her tearful response continued, “They should all know this. If you thought that my husband’s mission was powerful before, you have no idea. You have no idea what you have just unleashed across this entire country and this world.

“You have no idea the fire that you have ignited within this wife. The cries of this widow will echo around the world like a battle cry.

“Our battle is not simply a political one. Above all, it is spiritual.  The spiritual warfare is palpable,” Erika Kirk warned.

The Chaser’s mockery of Kirk’s death reveals deep divisions in Western culture over respect for life, civility, and truth. For Christians, it is a moment to grieve, but also to reflect on how to stand firm in public life with grace and courage.

In her speech, Groenewald made clear that no one should fear death for speaking the truth.

Yet, as the Church has always known, discipleship is costly, and sometimes demands the highest price.

In response to her husband’s paying this price, Erika Kirk proclaimed, “In one of the final conversations that he had on Earth, my husband witnessed for his Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

“Now, and for all eternity, he will stand at his Saviour’s side, wearing the glorious crown of a martyr” (Revelation 2:10).

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Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.