The scenes at the Manhattan courthouse illustrated the sharp divides searing American society: Inside, a shackled Luigi Mangione sat solemnly facing state murder charges over the shooting of a health-insurance executive, who left behind a wife and two children.

Outside, dozens of Mangione fans were cheering him. They waved Italian flags and sported T-shirts saying “Free Luigi” and “Cougars for Luigi.”

Mangione, accused of killing UnitedHealth Group Inc. executive Brian Thompson outside a Manhattan hotel last year, has been held up as a hero to those who consider the shooting a form of justice against the ills of the insurance industry. It’s a deeply divisive phenomenon — one that’s been brought into stark relief in recent days after the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

The

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