Her controversial figure aroused passions and also deep hatred, with statements about race, crime, religion or feminism.

Who was Charlie Kirk: The martyr, a central figure in Trump's America, and his connection to young people

Before his murder on Wednesday, activist Charlie Kirk was one of the most important figures for the young conservative and pro-Trump movement in the US. The president's team managed to capitalize on his enormous popularity in right-wing circles in the form of votes and popular support, key to some of his most controversial ideas. At 31, he had established himself as a leader in the political and ideological fight against the left and the inclusion of minorities, a profile forged thanks to a formula that mixes conservative and Catholic values with swift and controversial responses.

He died in front of a crowd while discussing issues raised by the audience, a common format for his speaking engagements. The shot that killed him was fired as he was referring to the Minneapolis high school shooting by Robin Westman, a transgender, anti-Trump activist. Among the ammunition fired by the unknown assailant who killed Kirk were bullets bearing pro-trans and anti-fascist inscriptions, according to the FBI.

Founder of Turning Point USA at the age of 18, he had amassed a network of nearly 20 million followers on his social media accounts. His controversial image aroused passion and also deep hatred, with statements about race, crime, religion, and feminism. Here are ten quotes to understand the young American's thinking and style:

On gun ownership in the U.S.

I believe the price of having a few gun deaths each year is worth paying, unfortunately, in exchange for the Second Amendment protecting our other God-given rights.

About Islam:

Is the Islamist framework valid for Western nations? Of course not. There are many reasons: Islam doesn't believe in freedom of expression, religious freedom, or the separation of state and religion. These three positions are antithetical to Western thought. In a Muslim-majority country, one cannot criticize the Prophet Mohammed. In many of those countries, there is also no robust protection for freedom of worship and religion. While the West is concerned with internally mixing different beliefs and religions, they have a duty to enter the state to change it and make it more Islamist. Finally, I don't know of any Western nation that, by becoming more Islamic, is a better, happier, or freer place to live.

On racially motivated crime:

White people are more likely to be attacked, especially per capita, by Black people in this country. The narrative they've promoted for the past ten years is that there is a relentless attack on Black people by white people. And the data doesn't prove it. In fact, it's exactly the opposite!

About Martin Luther King:

Perhaps, once the mythical sanctity of someone like MLK is shattered, Black voters will realize it's being used against them to suppress the individual, and even more will realize they're on our side. No one is advocating against voting rights. Stop fearmongering. Telling the truth about MLK shouldn't be trampling on sacred ground. He was just a man. And a very flawed one, at that. Worship God, not some anti-racist mythological creation from the 1960s.

About women in the US:

The happiest women in America are married with children. The unhappiest are the single women without children. Get married and have children. Ignore the haters. Live life to the fullest!

On abortion, compared to the Holocaust:

We allow the slaughter of 1.5 million babies a year under the pretext of women's reproductive health. We allow babies to be taken away and discarded every year, simply by saying they're not human beings. – Asked if he's comparing abortion to the Holocaust – It's worse: that's 45 million babies.

On quotas for minority inclusion:

United Airlines has a policy requiring 40% of its pilots to be Black or female. We've learned that every time we relax standards to meet quotas, when it happens with pilots or nurses, I simply expect them to be qualified because they're Black. We don't hire based on merit, but based on race.

About the Jews:

Jewish communities have been promoting exactly the same kind of hatred against white people that they claim to want people to stop using against them, on 'The Charlie Kirk Show', 2023.

Never let anyone silence your voice, even when it's unpopular. During a"Prove me wrong" type of talk.