Students have sparked outrage after recording themselves reenacting Charlie Kirk’s assassination in school hallways and classrooms on the first anniversary of his death.
One video included the disturbing message: “Happy Kirkaversary to those who celebrate.”
The troubling social media trend emerged earlier this week, with young people mimicking the moment the conservative activist was fatally shot. His public killing has been recast in a series of choreographed dances, memes and online clips.
Videos circulating online appeared to show students in school settings pretending to shoot at one another before violently jerking their heads or necks and breaking into a dance.
The movements appear to reference Kirk’s involuntary reaction after he was struck in the throat by the fatal bullet.
Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, was 31 when he was assassinated during an outdoor event at Utah Valley University on September 10, 2025. He had been answering questions from the audience as part of his organization’s American Comeback Tour.
One year later, footage of Kirk’s final moments has been turned by some social media users into what critics condemned as a grotesque online joke.
“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,” Republican South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace told the New York Post.
Naima Troutt, 24, who drew attention after debating Kirk at the University of Southern California in 2022, also shared a video referencing his assassination on September 10, 2025
Kirk was answering questions from the crowd at a Turning Point USA campus event when he was assassinated on September 10, 2025
In another clip reposted by the conservative Libs of TikTok account, a girl appears to point a finger gun at a group of other young people.
She pretends to pull the trigger, prompting the others to react before launching into the dance routine.
The trend uses audio combining ‘We Are Charlie Kirk,’ a song released following Kirk’s death, with Soulja Boy’s 2007 hit Crank That.
The videos provoked fury from Kirk’s supporters and others who argued that regardless of political disagreements with the conservative activist, recreating a real-life assassination for entertainment crossed a line.
But the anniversary mockery was not confined to apparent school students.
Naima Troutt, 24, who attracted attention after debating Kirk at the University of Southern California in 2022, also posted a video referencing his assassination on September 10.
Troutt used audio from Kirk’s final exchange before he was shot as part of an outfit-reveal video posted to Instagram.
In the clip, she mouths his final words – ‘counting or not counting gang violence’ – before snapping her head sideways as the sound of the fatal gunshot is heard.
Students sparked fury after posting videos appearing to mock Charlie Kirk’s assassination on the first anniversary of his death
Some students performed the routine inside apparent school hallways and classrooms as the videos spread across social media
TikTokers mimicked firing at one another with finger guns before snapping their heads sideways and breaking into synchronized dance moves.
The footage then cuts to Troutt dressed up and winking at the camera while wearing a dress featuring an image of the Virgin Mary and flashing a peace sign.
‘This is how i grieve, leave me alone,’ Troutt, who now co-hosts the podcast Symposia, captioned the post.
Her decision to recreate the moment triggered a furious response from commenters, some of whom pointed to the fact that Kirk had previously debated her publicly.
‘Charlie was kind to you…why would you dehumanize him in this way when he treated you with respect?’ Instagram user Clerpatriot wrote.
Charlie Kirk hands out hats before speaking at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah, on September 10, 2025, shortly before he was killed
Attendees listen to speakers at a memorial event marking one year since Charlie Kirk’s shooting death at Utah Valley University on Thursday in Orem, Utah
Conservative commentator Micah Kunkle added: ‘This is sick and disgusting. What happened to trying to humanize people we disagree with?’
Another commenter wrote: ‘You’re actually the main reason why I stopped identifying as a Liberal.’
The videos appeared as Kirk’s supporters marked the anniversary of his death, remembering the conservative activist and the political organization he built.
Kirk’s assassination sent shockwaves through American politics and generated renewed concern about political violence and the increasingly vicious nature of public discourse.
