UK Councillor Resigns After Backlash to Comment on Charlie Kirk’s Assassination

A councillor in Lancashire has resigned following outrage over her controversial remarks about the assassination of US conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Fiona Wild, who represented the Lanehead ward as an independent on Burnley Council, faced heavy criticism after posting on social media that Kirk’s death was “good riddance.”

In the now-deleted post, she added that the “not very nice man made himself a target and brought this on himself.”

Kirk, 31, was shot and killed at a college in Utah on Wednesday. A close ally of former US President Donald Trump, he co-founded Turning Point USA at the age of 18 and became one of America’s most outspoken conservative figures. His debates on issues like transgender identity, climate change, and family values earned him both wide support and criticism.

Following a wave of public anger, Burnley Council confirmed Wild’s resignation, stressing that it “does not condone the comments” and that complaints about her post are under investigation.

Councillor Jamie McGowan, leader of Burnley Council’s Conservative group, condemned her remarks.

“It’s such a disgusting thing to say, which shows a nasty side I didn’t know she had,” McGowan said.

The incident has sparked wider debate over political discourse online. Meanwhile, US authorities say no motive has been established for Kirk’s killing, and the suspect remains at large.