Thousands of people gathered at a candlelight vigil in Sydney's Hyde Park on Friday to honour Charlie Kirk, the U.S. right‑wing activist and social media influencer who was fatally shot while speaking at a university event in Utah on Wednesday.
The event was organised by the Australian branch of Turning Point, the conservative advocacy group Mr. Kirk helped found, and drew a diverse crowd that included overtly Christian participants, Indigenous leader Warren Mundine and supporters wearing red "Make America Great Again" caps and draped in Australian and American flags. Turning Point Australia's national director Joel Jammal urged attendees to channel grief into political involvement, saying, "We cannot live in fear ... Australia is worth fighting for. We need to have more kids. We need to get reconnected in church. We need to get politically involved - that's what Charlie was trying to say."
Speakers and attendees described the gathering as part of a communal grieving process. Michelle Graham, 48, who said she had been an avid viewer of Mr. Kirk, told AAP the vigil was not about politics but about mourning: "It was just so sudden. This is not about any political statements or whatnot. It's just being human - and that's what he would have wanted as well." Anthony Khallouf, an Australian online content creator known for anti‑lockdown organising, said Mr. Kirk had been an inspiration for those seeking to engage in political discourse.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called the killing "horrific" and said his thoughts were with Kirk's family. Albanese urged grievances to be aired through democratic channels and criticised the political fringes on both the left and right, saying "there is no place for political violence." Several other Australian public figures, including former prime minister Tony Abbott and National Rugby League player Jarome Luai, publicly paid tribute to Kirk.
Kirk, 31, co‑founded Turning Point USA, a conservative student and campus organisation that gained prominence through social media. He was speaking at a university event in Utah when he was shot on Wednesday, a killing that prompted expressions of grief from some political leaders in the United States and broad condemnation of the violence.
Organisers at the Sydney vigil urged attendees to become politically engaged and to adopt family and church connections as part of their public life. Many held placards bearing biblical messages while others wore American flags or campaign-style caps. Warren Mundine, a prominent Indigenous leader, was among those who attended the Hyde Park gathering.
Australia's eSafety Commission reported receiving material indicating that school‑aged children had accessed unedited footage of the moment Mr. Kirk was shot. The commission said it had informed at least one online platform, which voluntarily removed instances of the video. The eSafety Commission and other officials urged people who encounter the footage not to share it and to report it to the platform hosting the content.
Turning Point USA has been active on university campuses and in online political discourse in recent years. Kirk frequently voiced opposition to COVID‑19 lockdown measures in Australia and previously praised Melbourne protesters who disrupted a council meeting over a story time event, according to public statements and social media posts.
The Sydney vigil reflected deep political divisions but was presented by organisers as a peaceful commemoration. Organisers and attendees said the gathering was intended to remember Kirk and encourage civic participation rather than to promote violence. Authorities in both the United States and Australia have emphasised the need to refrain from amplifying graphic footage related to the shooting, citing potential harm to children and other viewers.
Investigations into the Utah campus shooting are being led by U.S. law enforcement agencies. Australian participants at the Hyde Park vigil said they planned to translate their response into increased political engagement and community activity in the aftermath of the killing.