EDITORS' CORNER
ANALYSIS
The days leading up to the anniversary of Charlie Kirk’s assassination brought out a lot of internet weirdness, including rumors of “lookalike” contests on at least two college campuses. The word irreverence comes to mind.
Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, was shot in the neck exactly one year ago while speaking to college students at Utah Valley University. He was only 31.
A memorial event is scheduled on the Utah campus today, as well as a protest organized by several leftwing groups. That’s to be expected.
Less predictable, however, are a series of bizarre, anonymous events linked to Kirk, the news of which has spread across various social media outlets.
These include “lookalike contests” supposedly planned at Georgetown University and the University of South Carolina, as well as a “Kirkaversary” at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. No one has identified the individuals behind these events or confirmed if they actually will take place.
However, as Fox News first reported, TPUSA students at Georgetown fear that the “lookalike” event will take place — and that it will be a mockery of the conservative leader on the anniversary of his death:
The Sept. 10 event was promoted on Fizz, an anonymous social media platform popular with Georgetown students, where the initial announcement received more than 2,200 upvotes. Georgetown’s undergraduate population is roughly 6,000.
The post that received 2,200 upvotes read, “Charlie Kirk lookalike contest. September 10th 2026. Pull up to Copley Lawn to speak the truth while the cost is high.”
Georgetown’s TPUSA chapter said members believe the slogan “pull up to Copley Lawn and speak the truth while the cost is high” is likely a mocking statement.
Soon afterward, the university released a statement condemning the anonymous posts.
“We have seen no activity on campus related to these posts and Georgetown is not aware of any student organization that is hosting or planning such an event,” it stated referencing its Catholic mission and dedication to “thoughtful, respectful dialogue.”
The university also said it will be monitoring the situation.
“We take these anonymous posts seriously and condemn their language as deeply inconsistent with our values,” it stated.
Meanwhile, someone at the University of South Carolina noticed a similar post on YikYak, a social media site, about a “lookalike” event on their campus, according to Libs of TikTok.
Responding to an inquiry from The College Fix, university spokesman Jeffrey Stensland said that USC has “no knowledge of a student group organizing an event like this nor we would expend any university resources in support of something like this.”
Additionally, at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Libs of TikTok reported about signs advertising a “Kirkaversary” event slated to take place tonight.
“We will celebrate the first new year AK (after Kirk). Not associated with Jerk for Kirk,” the event poster reads.
Other bizarre social media posts from X to Instagram as well as a minimalist website with a countdown clock and the sentence “Something is coming up” mention the “Kirkaversary” – and little else. Some of the posts that The Fix observed openly celebrated the murder by referencing the manner in which Kirk died.
The flippancy and mockery are hard to fathom, but TPUSA spokesman Andrew Kolvet hit on the root of the matter in his response to Fox News about the Georgetown event. Ultimately, the problem is respect for human life and understanding of human worth.
Kolvet told Fox News Digital: “A culture that can no longer simply mourn the fallen, or respect them enough to at least keep their mouth shut, is a culture that has lost touch with a basic sense of shared humanity. Shame on any of the mockers and trolls who debase themselves by continuously proving Charlie outclassed them in every conceivable way.”
MORE: Charlie Kirk’s lessons for young conservatives still hold true today
