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Outspoken Kiwi businessman Sam Stubbs, who received flak for comments on Charlie Kirk, says the US conservative’s opinions made him angry and he wanted to express that. 

Stubbs, co-founder and director of KiwiSaver provider Simplicity, told Ryan Bridge on Herald NOW he was sad Kirk had died, “but we’ve got to live in a world where you’re able to express your views and you have freedom of expression”. 

He then said the US was losing freedom of speech and compared it to 1930s Germany. 

Stubbs said on social media on Saturday: “We should mourn the violence, but not the man. And we certainly cannot eulogise a racist, sexist and bigot.” 

Kirk, a conservative activist, was shot dead during a university visit in Utah last week. 

“RIP Charlie Kirk. I wish your ideas had died with you.” 

Stubbs deleted the post a few minutes later, saying, in hindsight, he thought it was poorly worded. 

Stubbs’ comment was negatively received by many. Dozens had contacted him directly, complaining about his words, and a handful said they would be moving KiwiSaver providers. 

Stubbs was also pulled up by Israel Institute of New Zealand’s director Ashley Church, who claimed Kirk’s views were “pretty much in the centre of the political spectrum”. 

Sam Stubbs said Charlie Kirk's opinions made him angry. Photo / Doug Sherring 

But Stubbs today said Kirk’s comments, particularly about hypothetically denying a 10-year-old rape victim an abortion, made him angry, and he wanted to write about it. 

Stubbs told Herald NOW the flak he received was “noisy and vociferous” and said social media was fueling a divided society. 

The US “feels very much” like 1930s Germany – “it’s about cancelling people, suppressing dissent, not allowing for freedom of speech, and slowly these things happen just one at a time and then you’ve got a country in a completely different space”, Stubbs said. 

“I am really sad that Charlie Kirk died. It is murder. That is horrible, right? But we’ve got to live in a world where you’re able to express your views and you have freedom of expression. 

“I was angry because of some of the things I was hearing, you know, I was listening to him [Kirk] saying a 10-year-old girl who was raped should be forced to carry to full term. That just made me angry. 

“What happens is that as soon as a member of your tribe is being attacked, then you gather around and you defend that idea and you sling arrows. And that’s what happens on social media. It’s so easy for it to happen.” 

“Unfortunately, it [social media] also divides communities when suddenly you find people who would not otherwise have a voice because they’re just too extreme, suddenly find that they have a bullhorn and a voice, and they get together.” 

Brian Tamaki, meanwhile, leader of Destiny Church, has shared details of a public vigil for Kirk this weekend in central Auckland. Tamaki said Kirk’s death “marks more than the loss of a leader; it is a turning point in society”. 

Tamaki said the vigil would be “a declaration. We will not be silent, we will not back down, and we will carry forward the cause he gave his life for.” 

Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers business, breaking news and local stories from Tāmaki Makaurau. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.