Vigilance in Dark Times: Learning from History's Warning Signs
Ernst vom Rath was assassinated in 1938. His death served as a precursor to the Night of Broken Glass in Nazi Germany.
The assassination of Charlie Kirk marks a dangerous turning point that demands our immediate attention and historical perspective. As we grapple with this tragedy, we must remember how extremist movements have weaponized martyrdom throughout history—and prepare for what may come next.
The Ernst vom Rath Precedent
Ernst vom Rath was a German diplomat stationed in Paris who was fatally shot by Herschel Grynszpan, a 17-year-old Polish-Jewish refugee, on November 7, 1938. Grynszpan was desperate and distraught over his family's deportation from Germany to the Polish border, where they were stranded in horrible conditions.
The Nazi regime immediately seized upon vom Rath's death as the perfect pretext for what they had already been planning. Within 48 hours of the diplomat's death, the Nazi party orchestrated Kristallnacht—the "Night of Broken Glass"—a coordinated, nationwide pogrom that destroyed over 1,000 synagogues, 7,000 Jewish businesses, and resulted in the murder of at least 91 Jewish people. Approximately 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and sent to concentration camps.
The Nazis used one man's death to justify systematic violence against an entire population, transforming a tragic individual act into a rallying cry for genocide.
The Martyrdom Playbook
We've already witnessed how extremist movements attempt to create martyrs from figures like Ashli Babbitt, spinning narratives of victimhood to justify violence and radicalization. Kirk's assassination—regardless of the perpetrator's motives—will likely follow the same pattern, but potentially on a much larger scale given his prominence in conservative media and political circles.
History shows us that extremist movements don't need legitimate grievances to mobilize their base. They need symbols, narratives, and perceived justifications for the violence they were already planning to commit.
Our Response Must Be Strategic
We cannot allow this tragedy to become another Ernst vom Rath moment. This means condemning political violence unequivocally, regardless of the victim's ideology, while refusing to engage in rhetoric that could justify retaliatory violence. We must prepare our communities for potential backlash and coordinated attacks, strengthen our networks of mutual aid and protection, and monitor and document extremist responses to counter disinformation.
The far-right will attempt to use Kirk's death to justify everything they were already planning to do. Our vigilance now isn't just about preventing isolated acts of violence—it's about preventing a systematic campaign of terror that could reshape our democracy.
Now more than ever, we must study history's warnings and refuse to let them repeat. The stakes have never been higher.