Students mourn Charlie Kirk at vigil, express concerns on free speech

Students, alumni and members of the Syracuse community gathered on campus Thursday night to remember conservative activist Charlie Kirk.

Nearly 30 attended the vigil held at Schine Student Center hosted by College Republicans at Syracuse to honor Kirk’s legacy, who was shot and killed at Utah Valley University last week. As attendees entered the room, each was handed a white rose before shaking hands and taking their seats.

A projector portrayed a slideshow of Kirk’s photos, many featuring his family members. Beneath the images, text reading, “How did Kirk’s legacy impact you?” and “Where have you seen Kirk’s influence beyond yourself?” were displayed.

Cruz Thapa, treasurer of the SU College Republicans, began the vigil by reciting a vow against political violence.

“Our values condemn the endangerment, silencing, and censorship of others,” Thapa said. “The functioning of a greater society depends on free and fair discourse and representation, and we shall do our part to sustain that function.”

At least three uniformed Department of Public Safety officers were present. Campus security nationwide has amped up following the Kirk assassination that happened in Utah Valley University on Sept. 10. The day after, six HBCUs were put on lockdown after receiving threats.

Kirk, a conservative public figure and known Trump loyalist, was known for his debates at college campuses. He debated students on topics concerning the need for Christian nationalism and his stance opposing gay marriage. On Sept. 10,  he was doing exactly that when he was assassinated.

The fatal shooting unleashed a wave of chaos surrounding polarization, free speech in academia, political violence and campus safety, some of which extended to Syracuse University. 

As attendees stood up to talk at the vigil, some said they did not fully agree with some of Kirk’s views. Others expressed admiration for him, calling him a defender of free speech. 

“I never got to meet Charlie, but that does not mean his death hasn’t taken a toll on me — besides my family and friends, the most I’ve mourned is someone in my life,” said an attendee who did not identify himself. “When one conservative figurehead dies, a thousand, ten thousand, a hundred thousand more will appear.”

Some expressed concern about attending the event.

“I had a little bit of worry that there might be some people that would be willing to come here and kind of disrupt or discourage the event,” said graduate student Rein Desbiens. 

Another attendee said he wanted to invite his neighbors but was afraid of how they would view his political beliefs.

Thapa asked reporters not to take photographs of attendees’ faces. One attendee said it’s because they fear resentment in today’s world.

“I think that it’s really sad that we have to worry about showing ourselves and showing our faces and aligning with what we believe in for the risk of physical violence or being ostracized from our peers,” said the speaker, identifying himself as a recent SU graduate. 

At the front of the room, there was a framed image of Kirk on a small table. Thapa encouraged attendees to light a candle and place it on the table before sharing their thoughts at the microphone.

Photo by Joe Zhao

A framed image of Charlie Kirk rests on a small table at the front of the room for the vigil remembering the conservative activist on Thursday.

Photo by Joe Zhao

A student with a Republic Elephant pin attends the vigil for Charlie Kirk on Thursday. Students did not want their faces photographed.

“We will continue to remind our countrymen that we do possess the inalienable right to free speech,” SU law student Connor Hunt said. “Charlie’s death has sent a message.”

On Wednesday night, The Daily Orange reported that two faculty members are currently on leave due to social media comments, one was already on medical leave prior to their comment.

SU professors Jenn Jackson and Farhana Sultana drew attention for a BlueSky post responding to Kirk’s assassination. In separate posts, Jackson criticized his pro-gun policies and his comments about Black women.

“I was shocked by the comments that they made, not just because of the positions that they held, but because another human being would be saying something, maybe in celebration or in support of someone’s death,” said Desbiens in reaction to the two SU professors’ social media comments.

On Wednesday, Jackson shared on their BlueSky again that they had received threats of being shot in front of students. 

At the event, speakers used their First Amendment rights to express their political views, with some criticizing political correctness and Democratic leadership. Dio Brown, a recent graduate of Onondaga Community College, described the current era as a dark time in American history and mentioned involvement with Turning Point USA, a conservative organization founded by Charlie Kirk to promote conservative politics on high school, college, and university campuses.

“The main thing that I’ll remember is just the sense of community and the feeling, knowing that there are other people feeling what you’re feeling, and people just coming together to mourn,” said Desbiens.