A painted memorial for conservative activist Charlie Kirk at the University of North Carolina Wilmington was defaced and supporters at a candlelight vigil said they were harassed and had paint dumped on them, university officials and students said.
Students who organized the vigil on Monday night said they left a painted rock — a campus landmark commonly used for messages and announcements — with a courtesy expectation it would remain untouched for 24 hours. The group said hundreds attended the event to honor Kirk, who was fatally shot at a speaking event in Utah earlier this month.
Reagan Faulkner, president of UNCW’s chapter of College Republicans and secretary of the local Turning Point USA chapter, told Fox News Digital that organizers expected about 250 people but that 750 to 1,000 showed up. She said the gathering on Monday night was peaceful and included prayer and worship music.
Faulkner and other students said the rock was first vandalized around 11 a.m. on Tuesday, before the 24-hour courtesy period had expired. Video obtained by Fox News Digital shows a student approaching the rock and simulating flatulence toward it, and other footage reportedly shows paint being poured onto the memorial.
“We told him he had to wait until 5,” Faulkner said of a student who began to paint over the rock. “He said, ‘That’s just a courtesy. I don’t have to do anything for you fascists.’ He insulted one of our military members and called us Nazis. He and a friend later dumped paint on our members and the rock.”
Faulkner said some members were “body checked” and splashed with paint and that she was not satisfied with the university’s response. “I emailed administration last Wednesday when Charlie passed that it’s been brought to my attention that a lot of our members don't feel safe on campus,” she said. “And I was told you're perfectly safe. … And then this happened.”
A separate student, Brendan Chafin, who identified himself as a member of the College Republicans and Turning Point USA, said many students are angry and want the university to take disciplinary action against those who defaced the memorial. He said supporters called the students who painted over the rock “lost souls.”
UNCW issued a statement saying university police were aware of an incident involving the spirit rock on Tuesday morning. According to the statement, university police said the situation began as a conversation but became confrontational when students who sought to repaint the rock poured paint onto it. Some students tried to prevent the action and in the process were splashed with paint, the statement said. No arrests were made.
“UNCW is proud to serve as a public university, open to the community and committed to upholding freedom of expression in accordance with applicable laws and policies,” the statement said. “UNCW encourages and expects students, faculty and staff to foster a respectful campus community.” The university said students who expressed concern about potential assault were advised to file a police report.
Supporters said they ultimately stopped trying to physically defend the mural because of concerns the confrontation could escalate. Faulkner said the group shifted to prayer, signs and music, and that they would continue to hold vigils and public demonstrations in memory of Kirk.
The incident at UNCW is one of several confrontations on college campuses and public spaces since Kirk’s death. Conservative organizers and students have held vigils across the country; at the same time, recordings and social media posts showing staff, students and public figures making disparaging remarks about Kirk have circulated widely and prompted employers to take disciplinary actions in some cases.
Campus leaders and student organizers said they expect discussions within the university to continue about how to balance freedom of expression with safety and respectful conduct. Students who said they were physically affected by the incident were told by university police to file formal complaints. Faulkner said she believes those who were targeted have the right to press charges and urged the administration to take stronger steps to protect conservative students on campus.
The shooting that killed Kirk is under federal and local investigation. University officials and student leaders said the events at UNCW reflect heightened tensions on campuses nationwide as communities respond to the killing and to the conversations it has prompted about political speech and campus safety.