UNC Wilmington's spirit rock, a campus platform for expression, became a flashpoint after a Charlie Kirk tribute was repainted Tuesday by left-leaning students, less than 24 hours after the original memorial was painted Monday around 5 p.m. by members of Turning Point USA and the campus College Republicans.
The Monday tribute was quickly repainted the next morning, and video shows a confrontation as students argued over the rock's meaning. Faulkner told Fox News that a fellow student insisted on repainting the rock before the 24-hour courtesy window, saying, "That’s just a courtesy. I don’t have to do anything for you fascists." Faulkner said the individual insulted a member of the military and that the two students who joined him dumped paint on members and the rock. A female student on social media can be seen applying fresh blue paint to the memorial as a dispute unfolds, and a police officer arrived to speak with those involved while others continued to paint.
UNCW issued a statement saying the spirit rock is not a memorial but a platform for freedom of expression. It added that students typically paint the rock several times per week and, out of courtesy, leave artwork visible for at least 24 hours before repainting, though no policy requires the waiting period.
The university's College Republicans and Turning Point USA held a vigil Monday night for Kirk, who was shot and killed last week on a Utah campus during a speaking tour. Tyler Robinson, 22, has been charged with his assassination.
Faulkner said she believed the school should have done more to protect students and praised the restraint shown by her side during the hour of tension. "None of us retaliated. I believe God gave us courage and peace. We want conversation, not violence," she said. "We want to pick up the mic where Charlie left it, but the other side isn't willing. They say they don't want division or violence, but then actions like this happen."
In a show of unity, UNCW's College Republicans and College Democrats condemned political violence in the wake of Kirk's death.
