Turning Point UK’s CEO Jack Ross told Roar the moment “calls for students to stand strong”, as thousands gathered in Whitehall, Westminster for a candle-lit tribute following the killing of Charlie Kirk on Wednesday.
Thousands gathered in Whitehall on the evening of Friday 12 September for a candle-lit vigil to remember Charlie Kirk, organised by Turning Point UK (TPUK).
The American conservative activist and close ally of Donald Trump was shot dead during a campus event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday 10 September.
US authorities have since identified Tyler Robinson, 22, as the suspect now in custody. Utah officials say Robinson is being held on suspicion of aggravated murder, felony discharge of a firearm and obstruction of justice, with formal charges expected on Tuesday 16 September.
Details of the investigation and the suspect’s motives are still emerging.
The crowd formed around the statue of Field Marshal Montgomery, opposite the gates of Downing Street, and observed prayers and a moment of reflection before speeches began shortly after 7pm.
Roar was on the ground throughout and spoke to both attendees and representatives of TPUK.
In 2012, aged 18, Kirk founded Turning Point USA – a US non-profit which says it is the largest conservative student movement, with groups at more than 3,500 universities and high schools across the states.
The London vigil drew a varied crowd, with attendees carrying Union Jack, St. George’s and US flags, and some wearing populist-nationalist groups Make America Great Again (MAGA) and Make Europe Great Again (MEGA) merchandise.
As dusk fell, hundreds lit candles before making the short walk from Whitehall to the statue of Winston Churchill in Parliament Square.
Kirk’s Christian conservatism was a central focus of the evening, with collective prayers, crosses on banners, and repeated chants of “Christ is King” between speeches.
Before the speeches, a small Māori Christian group performed a Haka in tribute, while stewards and police monitored from behind barriers and kept the main road traffic moving.
With a visible police presence throughout, the event remained peaceful and no incidents were observed by Roar at the scene.
Jack Ross – CEO of Turning Point’s UK branch – opened the speeches, telling supporters: “We will not be intimidated; we will not be bullied out of standing up for our country, our values, and our people.”
He urged critics on the left to “be careful with their rhetoric,” rejected portrayals of Kirk as “a hateful, far-right bigot,” and called him instead a “good Christian man”. Ross also called for “no mercy” in the handling of the alleged shooter.
Ross was followed by Thomas ‘Young Bob’ McKay, who is the founder of Cross & Corner, a UK-based Christian youth ministry, and host of the YouTube channel Young Bob Studio, which is largely focused on the topics of illegal immigration and Islam.
McKay described Kirk as “a martyr for the conservative movement” and said his death would “reunite young people with Christianity”.
“Typically, assassinations are targeted at elected officials,” he continued, “Charlie Kirk was just an activist, killed for saying what he believed in.”
Nick Tenconi, COO of TPUK and leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP), told the crowd “our youth are being radicalised” and called Kirk “a hero”.
The UKIP leader had been recently recorded demonstrating a gesture largely recognised as a Nazi salute at an anti-immigration demonstration in Portsmouth on 8 August. Tenconi reportedly “completely rejects” the claim and says that UKIP opposes the far right and Nazism.
“When they try to silence us – when they try to murder us – they create martyrs,” he said, adding “Where one man dies, 10,000 rise.”
Similar vigils took place across the world on Friday, including in Australia, with attendees telling Reuters that Kirk’s death would not “kill his message.”
The speakers at the London vigil delivered their speeches beside a large framed portrait of Kirk near the plinth.
Asked what message his group has for students on UK campuses, CEO Jack Ross told Roar:
“The message for students is not to be scared, not to be intimidated. That’s what the terrorists want. What we need to do now more than ever is honour the legacy that Charlie has left behind – that of free speech and positive debate. Do not be scared. Do not give them what they want. Stand strong.”
Jack Ross, CEO of Turning Point UK
Hannah, a young TPUK representative, said: “Charlie Kirk is a martyr to the Christian faith. In Christianity, death is just a doorway – not the end but the beginning.”
She argued that Britain lacks true free speech, citing recent new online safety laws and increased online moderation of speech as constraints.
With much of the vigil’s message framed around freedom of speech, Roar observed several attendees within the crowd discussing plans to attend anti-immigration and anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson’s ‘Free Speech’ demonstration the following day, which saw over 110,000 in attendance.
At points, some in the crowd joined chants of “Tommy, Tommy, Tommy, Tommy Robinson” in direct reference to the far-right activist.
One man told Roar he “loses sleep at night” over the prospect of escalating political violence in Western nations: “As people become more extremist, a certain level of war is coming.” Another said the Online Safety Act felt like “a massive invasion of privacy… it just boils my blood.”
Some were hesitant to share their views: “I’m here for Charlie only – on a human level it’s just wrong, brutal and vile,” said one woman, who asked not to be identified. “I’ve told nobody I’m here. People would be against me. I’m even scared to talk to you as journalists,” the woman told Roar.
After the final address, the crowd moved south along Whitehall to Parliament Square, pausing at the Winston Churchill statue to lay flowers and sing Amazing Grace. Before dispersing, police kept traffic flowing and no incidents were reported.
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