An independent councillor on Burnley Borough Council has resigned after posting 'good riddance' on social media following the death of American conservative commentator Charlie Kirk. Kirk, 31, was fatally shot in the neck on Wednesday while on stage during an event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.
Councillor Fiona Wild, who represented the Lanehead ward as an independent, posted an image of Kirk on her Facebook page with the caption 'good riddance'. In a now-deleted post, she wrote: 'I don’t condone violence, but I do think he made himself a target and brought this on himself so good riddance to not a very nice man!'
The East Lancashire councillor quit on Thursday afternoon after the leader of Burnley Council Conservative group, Councillor Jamie McGowan, demanded she stand down. A Burnley Council spokesperson confirmed Ms Wild's resignation and stated that the council does not condone the comments, adding that complaints under the Code of Conduct for Members will be investigated.
Cllr McGowan said: 'I think that what Fiona Wild forgets is that two small children have woken up without their daddy this morning. It’s such a disgusting thing to say which shows a nasty side I didn’t know she had.' He added: 'All I can say is, good riddance to a not very nice woman.'
Charlie Kirk was a close ally of US President Donald Trump and credited with helping turn out the youth vote for him. President Trump reacted to Kirk's death, hailing him as a 'great, and even legendary' figure and vowing a crackdown on 'political violence'.
