Charlie Kirk lauded at memorial as galvanising force for conservatism

US President Donald Trump hailed slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk as a “martyr for American freedom” on Sept 21 and vowed at his memorial service to carry on the activist’s work, while again suggesting the “radical left” was responsible for his murder.

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“The violence comes largely from the left,” Mr Trump said, without citing any evidence, in remarks that downplayed political violence from the right and often turned starkly partisan in contrast to the more solemn tone that most other speakers adopted.

Mr Trump has been blaming the left for the deadly shooting before a suspect was even detained. His messaging reflected the dual nature of the event, which had the feel of a religious revival mixed with a Make America Great Again (Maga) rally.

The memorial, organised by Mr Kirk’s conservative youth advocacy organisation, Turning Point USA, was held 11 days after he was assassinated during a campus event in Utah. It drew tens of thousands of mourners dressed in red, white and blue, who filled State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

Mr Kirk’s friends and fellow conservatives praised him as an inspirational Christian leader who founded a political movement they vowed to nurture. His wife Erika, who has taken the helm at Turning Point, delivered an emotional tribute to her late husband, looking up at the heavens and mouthing “I love you” before speaking about his devotion to Christianity, his family and his activism. The Kirks have two young children.

“I want all of you to know, while Charlie died far too early, he was also ready to die,” she said. “He left this world without regrets. He did 100 per cent of what he could every day.”

She also offered forgiveness to the 22-year-old man who has been charged with Mr Kirk’s murder, citing the Bible’s account that Jesus Christ urged his followers to forgive his tormentors while on the cross.