A Times Square ceremony marking the anniversary of Charlie Kirk’s assassination erupted into disorder on Thursday as the debut of a memorial statue drew angry confrontations between opposing groups.
Video captured by Daily Mail cameras showed tensions boiling over at the famous New York City tourist hub, where the tribute quickly became the center of a heated public clash.
The 6-foot-5 sculpture, reportedly built at a cost of $100,000, was created by artist Sergio Furnari, who said the piece was intended to honor the conservative activist while encouraging open and constructive political discussion.
That vision was overshadowed almost immediately during the statue’s unveiling, as the crowd grew increasingly volatile and footage showed men wrapped in American flags shouting at demonstrators who opposed the monument.
Although multiple police officers were present at the scene, the situation appeared to spiral, with people seen shoving one another, falling to the ground, shouting “F*** you,” and hurling objects through the crowded area.
Opponents of the Charlie Kirk statue could be heard yelling “rest in p***” toward the monument, while others raised their middle fingers at Furnari as he revealed the sculpture to the public.
As the atmosphere turned more combative, a group of young men stood in front of the statue with their hands lifted in the air, while another man wearing an American flag-style vest urged the crowd to “calm down.”
At another point, a man gripping a large U.S. flag was seen shouting about “Islamists,” prompting more protesters nearby to move in and confront him.
The unveiling of a statue commemorating Charlie Kirk in Times Square on the anniversary of his assassination descended into chaos as groups clashed over the tribute
A group of young men were seen standing in front of the statue with their hands raised to the air as the event became aggressive,
Footage taken by Daily Mail cameras on the scene showed hostile scenes unfolded at the New York City landmark on Thursday
The statue, standing at 6-foot-5 and costing $100,000, was built by sculptor Sergio Furnari (left)
Traffic through Midtown Manhattan was halted by police during the unveiling, as the heavily-populated area was filled with throngs of onlookers.
Furnari told Fox News that he began work on the Kirk sculpture soon after the conservative activist’s assassination, because he was ‘saddened’ by the responses some had to the tragedy.
‘I [saw] how Erika [Kirk] got treated, including the parents of Charlie, and that’s what I think became my catalyzer,’ he said.
‘If you’re a parent, no matter if you were Democrat or Republican, you should have a little bit of empathy.’
Furnari added that he was not even an especially big fan of Kirk’s when he was alive, but he wanted to ‘stand together’ with people grieving the murder.
‘It’s not like I agree with him. There’s a lot of stuff I didn’t agree with,’ Furnari said.
‘But still, freedom of expression and, in my case, freedom of creation — there are no boundaries, no borders. That’s where we kind of stand together.’
Sculptor Sergio Furnari said he began work on the Kirk sculpture soon after the conservative activist’s assassination, because he was ‘saddened’ by the responses some had to the tragedy
Furnari said the sculpture cost him ‘probably more than $100,000’ when added to the hours he spent making it, and he launched an online fundraiser to recoup the cost of the project.
He vowed that anyone who donates to his fundraiser will have their name engraved on the statue’s platform.
Furnari said he after he funded the sculpture with his own savings, he became more determined to unveil it to the public due to the discourse surrounding Kirk’s death.
‘I became more passionate about it — just because of the way everybody was making fun of him,’ he said.
‘I feel like they killed him once, and they kill him each time, over and over again.’
