On a rain-soaked Friday evening in London, September 12, 2025, nearly a thousand people gathered outside Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s residence. The crowd, clad in red MAGA hats and draped in both British and American flags, came together for a somber vigil. Their purpose: to mourn the murder of Charlie Kirk, the 31-year-old American conservative activist, author, and podcast host who was fatally shot just two days earlier while delivering a talk at Utah Valley University.
The outpouring of grief wasn’t limited to the UK. Hours before the London gathering, hundreds of Kirk’s supporters held a candle-lit vigil in Sydney, Australia, determined to keep his message alive despite the tragedy. According to Reuters, Joel Jammal, founder of Turning Point Australia, addressed a crowd of about 350 in Sydney, urging them to “attend separate anti-government protests planned in the city on Saturday.” Jammal’s words were resolute: “I know you feel the pain of this loss of Charlie, but it’s going to take more than one bullet to silence his message.”
Kirk’s death has sent shockwaves through conservative circles worldwide. U.S. President Donald Trump, a close ally of Kirk, condemned the killing as a “heinous assassination.” Kirk, who founded Turning Point USA in 2012, had become a prominent voice for right-wing causes in the United States and, more recently, abroad. His organization’s international offshoots—Turning Point Australia and Turning Point UK—have carried his message to new audiences, each adapting the core philosophy of “love for freedom” to their local contexts.
Friday’s London vigil was striking not just for its size but for its diversity. The crowd included older, white British attendees, many young men, and a notable contingent of Australians and New Zealanders. Some brought white and red flowers, quietly sharing memories and discussing Kirk’s passionate debates. The event, though lacking formal speakers, was filled with conversations about the activist’s legacy and the values he championed—family, culture, and national pride.
“It shouldn’t be that we live in a world where, just for having an opinion, you should be killed. I think that’s abhorrent and a really negative turn for western civilisation,” 22-year-old Isaac Grand told Reuters. Grand made it clear that while he didn’t support all of Kirk’s opinions, he respected the activist’s core values and his willingness to engage in difficult debates.
Turning Point UK, though a smaller and less prominent branch than its American parent, has seen renewed attention in the wake of Kirk’s murder. The group’s Chief Operations Officer, Jack Ross, participated in the London vigil, standing alongside supporters holding pictures of Kirk. The event underscored the international reach of Kirk’s influence, which had grown especially visible in recent years as he turned his attention to global issues.
In the days leading up to his death, Kirk embarked on his first speaking tour of Asia, celebrating what he described as a “boom of conservative young men in South Korea” and warning of a “globalist menace” in Tokyo. His activism, while rooted in American conservatism, increasingly addressed what he saw as global threats to traditional values and national sovereignty.
Turning Point Australia, which operates independently from its American counterpart but shares its ideological DNA, has played a notable role in the country’s right-wing landscape. The group has previously hosted events featuring lawmakers from One Nation, a right-wing populist party that holds four seats in Australia’s upper house. In 2022, they brought Nigel Farage—the leader of the UK’s populist Reform party and a friend of Kirk’s—to Australia for a speaking tour. Farage, for his part, has expressed his grief at the loss, describing Kirk as a friend and an important figure in the conservative movement.
The vigils and the tributes from political allies highlight the deep sense of loss felt among Kirk’s supporters. Yet for many, the message is clear: Kirk’s death, tragic as it is, will not silence the causes he championed. In Sydney, Jammal’s call to action was echoed by others who saw Kirk’s murder not just as a personal tragedy but as a rallying point for renewed activism. The following day, anti-government protests were planned in several cities, with participants encouraged to carry forward Kirk’s message.
In London, another march was scheduled for Saturday, organized by Stephen Yaxley-Lennon—better known as Tommy Robinson, a prominent British anti-Islam activist. Robinson’s involvement signaled the extent to which Kirk’s death had galvanized segments of the right across national borders, weaving together disparate movements under the banner of free speech and opposition to perceived threats from the left and globalist institutions.
The sense of polarization was palpable—not only among Kirk’s mourners but also among those protesting unrelated issues elsewhere in London. Just days before the vigil, on September 6, Carolyn Gelenter, the daughter of a Polish Holocaust survivor, was arrested during a protest against the UK’s new law criminalizing support for Palestine Action. The organization had recently been designated a terrorist group by the UK government, and hundreds—including elderly and disabled individuals—have been arrested at similar demonstrations. Gelenter, writing in a personal essay, explained her decision to attend the protest knowing she would be arrested: “The words ‘hero’ and ‘courageous’ really belong to Palestinians.”
The juxtaposition of these events—Kirk’s assassination and the crackdown on pro-Palestinian activism—reflects a broader climate of political tension and debate in the UK and beyond. The right mourns what it sees as an attack on free speech and conservative values; the left and pro-Palestinian activists decry what they view as the suppression of dissent and the criminalization of solidarity movements. Both sides invoke the language of courage, conviction, and resistance, each claiming the mantle of defending fundamental rights and values.
For many, the events of September 2025 will be remembered as a flashpoint—a moment when political passions boiled over, and the boundaries between activism, protest, and violence became ever more blurred. Whether these tragedies will inspire greater understanding or deepen existing divides remains to be seen, but the voices raised in London, Sydney, and elsewhere suggest that the debates over freedom, justice, and the right to dissent are far from settled.
As the rain fell on Whitehall and candles flickered in Sydney, those who gathered to remember Charlie Kirk and those who marched for other causes made one thing clear: the struggle over ideas and identities in the West is as fierce, and as personal, as ever.
