Conservative activists launched a campus tour this week aimed at promoting free speech and honoring Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk after he was fatally shot last week during an on-campus event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.
Seattle-based journalist and conservative influencer Cameron Higby, who contracts for Turning Point’s FrontLines, and political commentator David Khait began the "Fearless" tour with a booth at Georgia State University. The organizers said the effort seeks to demonstrate that conservatives will continue to speak publicly despite Kirk’s death.
"It’s to show people that conservatives, and people in general, aren’t afraid to go out and talk about their beliefs in the public square," Higby told Fox News Digital. "Even though Charlie sat behind a table just like ours and was shot and killed. We want to show that we’re not scared."
At the Georgia State booth, organizers wore "Make America Great Again" hats and displayed signs reading, "Nobody should be killed for their opinions. RIP Charlie," and "Left is violent: Let’s debate." On the second day they kept the Kirk sign and added a sign saying, "Men cannot be women: Let’s talk." Higby said the tour will expand to additional campuses in Georgia and surrounding states to encourage open dialogue between students with differing views.
Organizers and onlookers described a range of reactions. Higby said some students engaged respectfully, while others confronted the booth aggressively. Video clips circulated on social media showed at least one man calling Kirk anti-LGBTQ and saying he was "happy" Kirk was killed; another person is seen saying Kirk "deserved it" and miming a throat-cutting gesture. At one point, Khait’s hat was taken and a crowd cheered, and Higby wrote on X that protesters tried to seize microphones, climbed on the table and demanded they leave.
Higby recounted additional confrontations outside the Georgia State event, including violence at a Seattle vigil for Kirk where he said one man publicly boasted of supporting the killing and that he would have carried out the attack himself. Higby said he was punched while covering the Seattle vigil and protest, and that his phone was grabbed and his smart glasses were broken.
Higby has frequently documented clashes involving militant left-wing groups in the Pacific Northwest and said he and other independent journalists have been targeted at protests in Seattle and Portland. He and Seattle journalist Brandi Kruse were among those attacked by agitators during protests earlier this year, he said.
The killing of Kirk, 31, who founded Turning Point USA and was among the best-known conservative campus organizers and commentators, prompted widespread attention and debate about campus safety, political violence and the state of public discourse. Kirk is survived by his wife, Erika, and two young children.
Turning Point USA said it has received more than 37,000 inquiries from people interested in starting new campus chapters since Kirk’s death, an indication of heightened interest among some students and activists. Organizers of the "Fearless" tour said they also have encountered students who expressed sympathy for Kirk’s family even if they disagreed with his politics, and pointed to conversations at campuses such as the University of Washington as evidence that debate continues on some left-leaning campuses.
The killing also sparked backlash against several professionals and educators who posted celebratory comments online, prompting criticism and, in some cases, professional consequences. Campus leaders, law enforcement and political figures have called for calm while investigations into the shooting proceed.
Higby said the tour is intended to advance the kind of engagement he attributed to Kirk: seeking out opponents for debate and urging civility among followers. "I think that Charlie was almost a perfect reflection of the principles that this country was built on," he said. "He actively sought out his opposition to have discussions with them and actively policed his own followers to behave and respect those people who disagreed with him."
The "Fearless" tour’s organizers said they will continue to plan campus events in the coming days and weeks. The broader political discussion around Kirk’s death remains active on campuses, social media platforms and among conservative and progressive groups, with advocates on all sides citing concerns about safety, free expression and the tone of public debate.