Kirk killing sparks fierce US free speech debate

WASHINGTON, Sept 19 (AFP): For Americans, the words are practically sacred: the First Amendment to the US Constitution guarantees freedom of speech.

But that right is now the subject of bitter debate, following the assassination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk.

On Thursday, several high-ranking Democrats accused President Donald Trump of waging war on free speech, after he celebrated ABC's suspension of talk show host Jimmy Kimmel, who accused the political right of using Kirk's death to score points.

The American Civil Liberties Union accused the Trump administration of operating outside constitutional safeguards to target its opponents, likening it to the Red Scare of the late 1940 and 1950s under senator Joseph McCarthy.