【By Observer News, Wang Kaiwen】American conservative political activist Charlie Kirk was assassinated, sparking conflicts among various factions in American society and raising concerns about the escalation of political violence in the United States.

On September 14, Utah Governor Spencer Cox, a Republican, attributed Kirk's death to social media and its algorithms during an interview, stating that they had played a "direct role" in a series of political assassination incidents.

Notably, Cox also revealed on the same day that the suspect, Robinson, had previously lived with a transgender lover, who was "deeply shocked" by the shooting and has now cooperated with the authorities. Currently, U.S. officials are investigating whether this relationship was a factor in the shooting incident.

According to the website "Politico," Cox emotionally condemned social media algorithms on September 14 during an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press," especially highlighting their impact on American youth. He described social media as a "cancer."

"I believe that in every assassination or attempted assassination we've seen over the past five or six years, social media has played a direct role," Cox said. "In my opinion, the word 'cancer' might not even be strong enough to describe (social media). Especially for our children, it took us decades to realize how evil these algorithms are."

Utah Governor Cox, screenshot from video

According to reports, Cox mentioned former Trump chief strategist Steve Bannon in his interview on the 14th, saying he made incendiary remarks, and he also accused social media companies of having "problematic algorithms."

"They are hijacking our autonomy; they use these dopamine hits to hijack our free will, and the chemical reaction is no different from fentanyl. They make us addicted to these platforms, and anger definitely stimulates dopamine. But they are not responsible at all... We must hold them accountable," Cox said.

On September 10, Kirk was shot and killed while giving a speech at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, at the age of 31. A video of him being shot spread widely on social media.

Cox has consistently urged the public not to watch these videos, including the video of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska, who was killed in Charlotte. At a press conference after the shooting, Cox said that videos showing victims being attacked were not beneficial to the public.

"Our evolution isn't advanced enough to handle such violent images," Cox said. "It's harmful to our physical and mental health, and watching this content is not beneficial for us."

He further stated, "I encourage everyone to turn off their computers and phones, go out into nature, embrace their families, and do something good for their communities."

Cox was not the only politician to condemn social media after Kirk's assassination. On the 14th, Republican U.S. Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma said that algorithms "push people toward extremism."

"That's how it works. Social media always pushes the most angry, the loudest, the craziest voices, and these contents are repeated again and again," Lankford said on CBS's "Face the Nation."

"So, any rational discussion, or even things where people can communicate civilly despite differences, get pushed aside, replaced by those angry and stubborn individuals," Lankford said.

Democratic U.S. Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona said on the 14th that videos of Kirk's killing were flooding social media, making it hard to avoid, and "I hope some social media companies would remove this content from the internet, it's not good for children."

It remains unclear what role social media played in Kirk's assassination.

On the evening of September 11, the suspect, 22-year-old Taylor Robinson, was arrested. Robinson comes from a middle-class Republican family in Utah, and his motive for the crime and political views have sparked heated debate. Conservative figures insist he was an "uncontrolled leftist," while liberals argue that Robinson received a conservative upbringing.

Cox said on the 14th that Robinson is currently refusing to cooperate with the police investigation.

On the same day, Cox told CNN that Robinson was originally a "very normal young man," but after dropping out of Utah State University, he seemed to have taken an "extremist path" and spent a lot of time in the "dark corners of the internet," getting deeply involved.

Cox also revealed that Robinson had previously lived with a transgender lover, who was "deeply shocked" by the shooting and has now cooperated with the authorities. Investigators believe that Robinson's lover had no prior knowledge of the shooting and was "in the process of transitioning from male to female." Cox said it is still unclear whether this is related to the suspect's motive.

He said, "We are trying to figure it out. I know everyone wants to know why and find the reason... I just want to be cautious."

The BBC mentioned that Kirk publicly opposed same-sex marriage and often cited his devout Christian beliefs on gender issues, arguing that marriage is "a union between a man and a woman," and also opposed providing gender-affirming medical care to transgender individuals.

According to reports, Robinson will be formally charged on Tuesday (16th), facing initial charges including aggravated murder, serious gun use, and obstruction of justice. These charges are state-level felonies, with "aggravated murder" potentially carrying the death penalty.

This article is an exclusive contribution from Observer News. Reproduction without permission is prohibited.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7550236752317891087/

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