London: Hundreds of people have attended a vigil for Charlie Kirk in central London, with speakers hailing him as a 'Christian martyr' and calling for people to wage a 'war on evil.' Kirk, 31, an ally of US President Donald Trump and co-founder and chief executive of the youth right-wing organization Turning Point USA, was shot and killed at a Utah Valley University show on Wednesday, in what authorities called a political assassination.
According to Ghana News Agency, after the shooting, Trump called Kirk a 'martyr for truth and freedom' and blamed the rhetoric of the 'radical left' for the killing. Hundreds of people attended the vigil organized by activists from Turning Point UK on Friday evening, by the statue of Field Marshal Montgomery in Whitehall, with many waving Union flags and a number of others wearing 'Make England Great Again' (MEGA) hats.
A large portrait of Kirk was held up high by the statue, as Turning Point UK chief executive Jack Ross addressed the crowd, calling for left-wingers to 'be careful with their rhetoric.' 'Despite what certain members of the press have purported, Charlie was not a hateful far-right bigot: he was a good Christian man and his desire to help people came from his passion for Christ,' Ross added. 'I take this opportunity to ask people, especially those of the left wing of politics, that they must be careful with their rhetoric.' 'Whilst sticks and stones do break bones, it is words that encourage people to pick up those sticks.'
Kirk co-founded Turning Point USA aged 18 to take his brand of Christian conservatism, advocating for low taxes and limited government, on to college campuses. He attracted a big online following, often posting videos of his confrontations with liberal students who questioned him on issues including abortion, gun rights, and transgender rights, with his views drawing fierce criticism from some.
Nick Tenconi, COO of Turning Point UK, told the crowd the shooting of Kirk marked the beginning of a 'war on evil' and called for people to carry on Kirk's legacy. 'I say, ladies and gentlemen, Charlie Kirk is a hero,' he said. 'When they try to cancel us, when they try to silence us, when they murder us, they create martyrs, and Charlie is a Christian martyr.' 'We are under attack, each and every one of us, and we must defend ourselves. War has now been declared.' The crowd responded to his speech by singing 'Christ is king.'
Married father-of-two Beau Thomas, 34, from Haywards Heath in West Sussex, put down a bouquet of flowers by the large Union flag that was hung to the fence near the Montgomery statue. He said: 'He was a family man, he was a husband, he's already contributed so much to this world and the things he believed in, and he did that peacefully, he did it with compassion and love for others.' 'People are free to share what they believe as long as they do it peacefully, and Charlie always did that.'
