A protester has sparked outrage after dressing as the late Charlie Kirk at a Turning Point USA event in Texas and mimicking his assassination. The incident occurred on Friday in San Antonio, where Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, was in attendance.
Video footage posted on social media by Turning Point USA’s Frontlines TPUSA account shows the activist wearing a papier mâché head resembling Kirk and a white T-shirt bearing the word “Freedom”. The individual can be seen dropping to the floor, apparently reenacting the moment Kirk was shot, before getting up and walking away. Demonstrators were heard shouting “he deserved to die” in the background, according to TPUSA.
Turning Point USA contributor Jack Posobiec condemned the stunt on Fox News, saying: “When people tell you who they are, believe them. The left is out there celebrating the murder of Charlie Kirk.” He added that the protest demonstrated “resentment” towards the organisation’s work with young people.
The demonstration drew further criticism online, with some branding it “evil” and others speculating without evidence that the activist was a “paid actor”. Later, Erika Kirk addressed the TPUSA Women’s Leadership Summit, where a woman heckled her. Kirk responded: “It’s important to remember that happiness comes and goes – and I pray that you find it. We must pray for our enemies.”
The conference had previously been targeted with a bomb threat, leading to the arrest of a 26-year-old man on two felony counts of making a terroristic threat. Charlie Kirk was shot dead by a sniper at Utah Valley University on 10 September last year. A suspect, Tyler Robinson, 22, was later arrested and charged with aggravated murder and other offences.
