Investigations

Charlie Kirk memorial rally sparked clash in Times Square

Turning Point USA backers rallied on the first anniversary of Kirk's assassination as opponents shouted him down.

In Times Square, supporters and critics clashed on the first anniversary of Charlie Kirk's assassination as Turning Point USA backers rallied and opponents shouted him down. Channel 5 with Andrew Callaghan filmed the gathering the same day the outlet posted the footage.

Kirk, the 31-year-old co-founder of Turning Point USA, was fatally shot on Sept. 10, 2025, while speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. According to the Utah Department of Public Safety, he was struck at about 12:20 p.m. MST during a student-sponsored campus event watched by roughly 3,000 people. Authorities said the gunman fired from a rooftop.

One year later, attendees in Times Square called the date the Kirkiversary. Supporters held signs and chanted "They can't kill us all" and "Charlie's a hero." A Muskegon, Michigan, man who identified himself as president of a Turning Point USA chapter at Muskegon Community College said Kirk made Christianity acceptable on college campuses.

Several speakers framed Islam as an existential threat. One man said Muslims were "playing stupid" to win votes before enacting Sharia law. A Marine Corps veteran praised Mayor Zohran Mamdani by first name and warned that rising Muslim political power endangered daughters and granddaughters. A man who gave his name as Crusader James called Islam "gang gang" and said Muslims worshipped a fake god that was probably Satan.

Critics pushed back within feet of the ralliers. One man shouted that Kirk was a demon; another condemned Kirk for laughing at Gaza bombings and dehumanizing genocide victims. Nearby, two men traded accusations of homophobia and fascism until one threatened a fight as a police officer stood steps away.

Attendees tied Kirk's death to wider politics. One woman said the shooting happened on her birthday and had "activated" her. Others blamed Marxism, the deep state, or Democrats for the killing. Several invoked the bodies falling from the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. One rallier claimed Mamdani had revoked permits for a Charlie Kirk motorcade near Ground Zero.

ARTnews reported that artist Sergio Furnari unveiled an unpermitted life-size bronze memorial to Kirk in Times Square on Sept. 10, 2026, at 2:23 p.m., the moment Kirk was shot a year earlier. Turning Point USA members pulled a tarp from the statue on a pickup truck that left immediately after a shoving match between supporters and protesters.

The FBI said a suspect was in custody in the Utah shooting. Utah Valley University closed its campuses from Sept. 11 through 14, 2025, after the killing.

Source video: The Kirkiversary