Matt Goodwin has condemned the Oxford Union president-elect for celebrating the fatal shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, characterising the response as emblematic of problematic attitudes prevalent amongst Generation Z students.
The academic argued that the student official represents a widespread mentality on university campuses where spoken words are equated with physical violence.
According to Matt, this generation has been "incubated in this culture of victimhood" and maintains an "obsession with emotional harm and protecting minorities".
Mr Kirk was assassinated on Wednesday whilst addressing students at Utah Valley University in Utah. The right-wing influencer, who had close ties to President Donald Trump and mobilised young Republican voters, was killed by a single shot fired from a rooftop by an assailant who remains at large.
Matt Goodwin said the young generation has been 'incubated in this culture of victimhood'
|GB NEWS / OXFORD UNION
Matt elaborated on his critique, stating: "They view words as violence, they've been incubated in this culture of victimhood." He suggested the Oxford Union president-elect's comments reflected a broader campus phenomenon where students perceive rhetoric as justification for physical violence.
The commentator specifically criticised what he described as the student's attempt to rationalise the assassination.
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"They have an obsession with emotional harm and protecting minorities, he suggests there is some indirect justification for the action because of Charlie Kirk's rhetoric and language. It's absurd," Matt stated.
This perspective, according to Matt, demonstrates how certain university students have adopted frameworks that blur distinctions between speech and violence, creating dangerous precedents for political discourse.
Matt Goodwin hit out at the Oxford Union president
|GB NEWS
Despite his strong criticism, Matt explicitly opposed any disciplinary action against the Oxford Union president-elect on free speech grounds. "I don't think he should be expelled because it's a free speech thing, but he will forever be tainted by what he said," he remarked.
The political commentator firmly rejected any notion that inflammatory rhetoric could justify violent acts. He characterised the student's apparent rationalisation of the shooting based on Mr Kirk's political positions as fundamentally flawed reasoning.
Matt's stance highlights a nuanced position: whilst defending the student's right to express controversial views, he simultaneously condemned the substance of those views as dangerous and misguided. His comments underscore ongoing debates about the boundaries between protected speech and the glorification of political violence.
The assassination occurred during Mr Kirk's campus appearance on Wednesday afternoon in a university courtyard. Video footage captured the moment a shot rang out whilst Mr Kirk spoke through a handheld microphone, with blood visible from his neck area as shocked onlookers fled.
Charlie Kirk at the Utah rally hours before he was assassinated | GETTYFederal investigators released photographs on Thursday of a person of interest wearing a hat, sunglasses and dark clothing.
The FBI announced a $100,000 reward for information leading to an arrest, as the shooter escaped by jumping from the roof and disappearing into nearby woodland.
Evidence recovered includes a Mauser bolt-action rifle concealed in a towel, along with a palm print and shoe impression.
The weapon contained a spent cartridge and three additional rounds, which authorities are analysing at a federal laboratory.