Campus Leftists Plan To Disrupt Charlie Kirk Memorial Event At UVU Assassination Site

Left-wing student groups at Utah Valley University have announced plans to protest and disrupt a memorial event scheduled for September 10, which will mark the one-year anniversary of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk’s assassination on the university’s campus.

Turning Point USA is organizing the memorial, titled “Freedom Built to Last, Honoring Charlie Kirk,” at the UCCU Center, an arena on campus that is partially owned by Utah County and available for rental. The organization described the gathering as one that will “honor Charlie as a faith-filled husband, father, and defender of free speech with a memorial that serves as a deliberate act of remembrance and a call for students and supporters to continue his life’s work.”

Scheduled speakers include commentator Glenn Beck, Christian apologist Frank Turek, and TPUSA field officer Andrew Sypher. The event is private, requires tickets, and organizers have indicated that security measures will be in place, according to a report from The College Fix.

Utah Valley University had previously announced in August that classes and most campus operations would be canceled on September 10 to allow time for “healing,” “reflection, service, and connection.” Administrators noted that the UCCU Center would remain open for the privately organized Turning Point USA event, however.

Several student organizations, including the UVU chapter of Students for a Democratic Society, the Community Defense Club of UVU, the national SDS chapter, and a group identified as “The Black Menaces,” have called for a protest. “We will not stand for this,” the groups said in a joint statement.

“The UVU administration has closed campus that day, and has endorsed this event, which is an endorsement of the views of Turning Point and Charlie Kirk,” they added. The groups then called on UVU students to protest what they described as “racism, homophobia, bigotry and hate.” They have also said they will demand that the “views of Charlie Kirk” not be tolerated on campus.

Several flyers have been distributed on campus to promote the event. “UVU has supported a Turning Point event being held at the UCCU Center on the 10th. This has aligned the UVU admin with TPUSA and broken their neutrality on the matter. On the 10th we will be protesting TPUSA, UVU admin, and the Utah County Commissioners who organized,” reads one of the posters.

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EXCLUSIVE AUDIO: SDS at UVU President: "We'll need to take the fight and make sure that UVU knows that there shouldn't be a memorial on campus … if we can make it as uncomfortable as possible for people to get in … " pic.twitter.com/GLujuGDelf

— The Cougar Chronicle (@TheCougChron) September 4, 2026

Audio obtained by The Cougar Chronicle captured SDS chapter president Collin Grannis discussing the plans. He said the group was also organizing an “ICE out event.” Grannis added, “We’ll need to take the fight and make sure that UVU knows that there shouldn’t be a memorial on campus.”

He also shared details on the manner of the event. “All that we’ll be able to do is stand outside, but if we can make it as uncomfortable as possible for people to get in,” he said.

Sage Lloyd, president of the UVU Turning Point USA chapter, responded to the announced protest in a statement of her own. “While it’s disappointing that people are threatening to protest something so fundamental to a thriving republic, disagreements should always remain peaceful and respectful. September 10 is a day of mourning and reflection for many in our community who lost a brother in Christ and a voice for open dialogue. Our chapter’s standard has always been one of respect. There is room on campus for both protest and grief. However, violence, disruption, or attempts to shut down remembrance would dishonor the very freedoms Charlie Kirk was killed for defending,” she said.

The planned anniversary event occurs against a year-long backdrop of disagreement at UVU over how, or whether, to commemorate the shooting. After the assassination, university officials formed a committee to consider a possible permanent memorial at the courtyard where Kirk was killed.

Groups including SDS and the Civil Disobedience Club previously held protests against a proposed statue or other commemoration. The grassy area where Kirk fell has since been paved and landscaped, and a flagpole has been added nearby, while the committee has continued its deliberations.

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