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A crown placed by mourning people is seen outside the United States Embassy in Pretoria on September 11 after the deadly shooter of Charlie Kirk. On Sunday, a commemorative service for Kirk in Arizona is expected to attract tens of thousands of supporters.
Phill Magakoe / AFP via Getty Images
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tilting legend
Phill Magakoe / AFP via Getty Images
Tens of thousands of supporters from Charlie Kirk will join the best Republican political leaders on Sunday for the funeral of the right -wing activist, less than two weeks after his death.
The 31-year-old co-founder of Turning Point USA was a close ally of President Trump and considered one of the most eminent young leaders in the Maga movement. His death repercussions through the Republican Party – from the base through the upper levels of the White House.
This connection in particular is likely to be underlined today, because Trump and Vice-President JD Vance should pronounce remarks at his service, as well as several other senior administration officials. Supporters will also hear the widow of Kirk, Erika Kirk, who was appointed Thursday the new CEO of Turb Point.
The funeral will start at 2 p.m. HE at the Glendale, Ariz state Farm Stadium.
A debate on political violence
The deceased activist memorial comes only a few days after the prosecutors accused Tyler Robinson, 22, of having murdered Kirk when he was expressed during a event turning at the University of Utah Valley in Orem, UTAH, September 10. By accusing documents, the authorities cite a text message sent by Robinson in which he will explain why he targeted Kirk, writing, “I had enough of his hat”.
Kirk was known as a defender of freedom of expression on the campus, loved by his many followers for having created a space for young Republicans to counter what he considered more liberal campus climates. In recent years, he had more and more married and amplified many Christian right opinions.
He also took positions that his criticisms hid for offensive. He was a vocal opponent of transgender rights, for example, and thought that the 1964 civil rights law was an “error”, arguing that it had caused a “permanent bureaucracy of the type ofi”.
His assassination sparked a broader conversation on political violence in the country. Several Republican leaders, including Vance, have argued that “the extreme left” is disproportionately to blame for political violence and that it is not a “problem of the two parties”.
It is an argument that contrasts strongly with a list that gives reflection of recent acts of targeted violence intended for individuals through the political spectrum. Democrats also failed these allegations led by the GOP.
From the student organizer to Maga
Candles and flowers are seen near a portrait of Kirk during a fortune memorial during a candle vigil at the Memorial Park in Provo, Utah, September 12
Melissa Majchrzak / AFP via Getty Images
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Melissa Majchrzak / AFP via Getty Images
Kirk launched Turning Point in 2012 at the age of 18 as a space for young conservatives. Since then, the organization has reported more than 1,800 colleges and secondary chapters across the country. At the time of his death, Kirk had raised a series of millions of people online and welcomed the Podcast and the popular radio program, The Charlie Kirk Show.
Despite the initial concerns of certain young conservatives as to whether Kirk murder could reduce campus activism, Turning Point A has since reported an increase in commitment. Thursday, the group announced that it had received more than 60,000 requests from high school and colleges who seek to join or start a school chapter.
Questions about the future of Turning Point
Before the 2024 elections, the action of the turning point of the group’s defense group – which has no orientation reserved for young people – helped the Trump campaign for electoral participation efforts in key states such as Arizona, Michigan and Wisconsin.
Many Republicans have since credited Kirk to help stimulate support for Trump among young people – although its direct impact is difficult to quantify.
For his young followers, Kirk’s greatest impact cannot be overestimated. The organizers of the Z generation and the creators of mourning content congratulated the deceased activist for helping to inspire their own political career. This is something that several Republican elected officials have echoed in their own memories of Kirk, whose Vance, who explained how Kirk pushed for him as a Trump package.
“If it was not for Charlie Kirk, I would not be the vice-president of the United States,” said Vance by organizing the Kirk program last week.
While Erika Kirk has since been exploited to lead the Turning Point organization, the maintenance of Kirk’s largest political movement can make a group effort. This is something that Vance alluded on Monday from the host chair.
“Charlie is irreplaceable, but we can at least have a team of people trying to grasp the gap,” he said. “We are not going to let Charlie’s coat be thrown away. We will continue to wear it.”
