Videos appearing to show students reenacting Charlie Kirk’s assassination in school corridors and classrooms have provoked outrage after spreading on social media around the first anniversary of his death.
The clips show young people mimicking gunfire with finger gestures before snapping their heads to one side and breaking into choreographed dance routines. One video was captioned: “Happy Kirkaversary to those who celebrate.”
The trend appears to reference Kirk’s involuntary movement immediately after he was fatally shot in the throat during an outdoor event at Utah Valley University in Utah on September 10, 2025.
Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, was 31 when he was killed while taking questions from an audience during his organisation’s American Comeback Tour.
Several of the videos appeared to have been recorded inside schools, although the identities of those featured and the locations were not given. The clips use audio combining “We Are Charlie Kirk”, a song released after his death, with Soulja Boy’s 2007 hit Crank That.
In one clip reposted by the conservative Libs of TikTok account, a girl points a finger as though it were a gun at other young people. After she appears to pull the trigger, the others react before joining the dance.
Republican South Carolina representative Nancy Mace condemned the videos, saying: “Mocking an assassination with simulated gunfire and a victory dance isn’t edgy, brave, or political – it’s just cruelty choreographed for clicks. Sends the wrong message.”
The anniversary posts drew criticism from Kirk supporters and others who said that recreating a real-life killing for entertainment crossed a line, regardless of political differences.
Video by former debate opponent also criticised
The controversy also involved Naima Troutt, 24, who attracted attention after debating Kirk at the University of Southern California in 2022.
Troutt posted an Instagram outfit-reveal video using audio from Kirk’s final exchange before he was shot. She mouths the words “counting or not counting gang violence” before turning her head as the sound of a gunshot is heard.
The video then shows Troutt dressed in a dress featuring an image of the Virgin Mary, winking at the camera and making a peace sign. She captioned it: “This is how i grieve, leave me alone.”
Her post prompted angry responses from commenters, including one who wrote: “Charlie was kind to you…why would you dehumanize him in this way when he treated you with respect?”
Conservative commentator Micah Kunkle said: “This is sick and disgusting. What happened to trying to humanize people we disagree with?”
The videos emerged as Kirk’s supporters gathered to mark one year since his death. His assassination sent shockwaves through American politics and renewed concern about political violence and the increasingly hostile nature of public debate.
