Belgium's Prime Minister Bart De Wever – a member of the Flemish rightwing N-VA party – posted a brief comment in English on his social media channels on Wednesday evening, following the death of conservative influencer Charlie Kirk (31) in the United States.
Kirk, an ally of US President Donald Trump, was shot on Wednesday during an event at Utah Valley University. Footage on social media shows him being hit by a bullet in the neck.
"Political violence is an attack on democracy and freedom of expression everywhere in the world. It can never be accepted," said De Wever on social media.
Political violence is an attack on democracy and freedom of speech everywhere. It can never be accepted.
— Bart De Wever (@Bart_DeWever) September 10, 2025
Additionally, the leader of the Flemish far-right Vlaams Belang party in Belgium, Tom Van Grieken, posted on social media that Kirk was "murdered because he had an opinion like you and me."
At the event, Kirk – who had a staunchly pro-gun political stance – was in the middle of answering a question from the audience about school shootings when he was shot. He was taken to hospital in critical condition, but he died of his injuries.
Kirk was considered an influential figure among Trump supporters, and promoted many conservative and Trump-aligned causes. In addition to his opposition to gun control, he made controversial statements about abortion and LGBTQ rights, promoted Christian nationalism and Covid-19 misinformation, and made false claims of electoral fraud in 2020 and the Great Replacement conspiracy theory.
Trump has praised the influencer on social media – speaking of a "dark moment for America." Kirk leaves behind a wife and two young children.
On Friday, Utah Governor Spencer Fox and FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed that 22-year-old Tyler Robinson has been arrested in connection with Kirk's murder. According to Cox, Robinson confessed to the murder to family members, who then notified the police. Robinson was arrested last night.
Previously, two men had also been arrested on Wednesday, but they had since been released because neither of them "has any connection to the shooting," according to Patel.
Update: This article was updated on Friday to reflect that a suspect has now been arrested.
