PHOENIX, AZ–Turning Point USA’s headquarters unveiled a bronze statue of popular conservative political activist and media personality, Charlie Kirk, memorializing him on the anniversary of his assassination.
A few days later, the statue was found covered in red paint. As was the sign beside the display, which read: “May Charlie be received into the merciful arms of Jesus, our loving savior.”
Last year, Kirk was fatally shot at Utah Valley University during an outdoor debate event hosted by Turning Point USA.
Kirk’s activism and death were the subject of much controversy, civil rights advocates criticized Kirk and his organization for rhetoric they called racist, transphobic, and misogynistic. His supporters argued he was a defender of nuclear family values and a valuable asset to the right.
TPUSA – an organization co-founded by Kirk – shared photos of the vandalized statue and sign on social media, urging Phoenix residents to call in with any information that could aid the police in identifying any perpetrators.
“Vandalism like this is not funny; it’s diabolical. The incident happened in the middle of the night because evil never sleeps,” TPUSA wrote.
Charlie Kirk’s wife, Erika Kirk, condemned the vandalists on X, expressing anger at the attempt to “silence Christians."
“Every attempt to tear down what Charlie built makes us root deeper and work even harder,” she wrote.
Turning Point USA plans to restore the statue and replace any vandalized signage, while also working with Phoenix law enforcement to identify the perpetrator(s).
No one has been arrested or charged with vandalism, the Phoenix Police Department confirmed to USA Today.
