Hundreds of people gathered on Boston Common on Thursday night for a candlelight vigil in remembrance of political activist Charlie Kirk one week after his death.
People started gathering on the Common around 7 p.m. before lining up in front of the State House, with many holding candles and bowing their heads in prayer. Others held signs, waved flags, and brought flowers and other mementos to leave at the steps of the State House. Visual estimates of the crowd ranged from several hundred to almost 1,000.
Kirk was fatally shot on Sept. 10 while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University. 22-year-old Tyler Robinson has been charged with murder in what authorities say was a politically motivated killing.
Denise Page, who came down from the North Shore, said she was devastated upon learning about Kirk’s death and wanted to represent what he stood for.
“Even if I can change one mind of someone on the left to let them know that we come out, and we do vigils peacefully,” said Page. “He [Kirk] knows that, and he’s looking down at us, he knows that we’re here for him.”
Tyler Guptill said he drove from New Hampshire to attend the vigil so that he could be with others who are also grieving.
“I didn’t eat for a couple of days, and it was just this heavy sadness,” he said. “It was important to come as kind of a healing process and to work through it with others here.”
Guptill said he believes both Democrats and Republicans need to come together in order to put an end to political violence.
“Even if it happens on the Democratic side, first, this is happening on the Republican side,” he said. “We have to come together as a country, like Charlie always did, work toward common ground and not toward division, which seems to be a lot of what we’re doing these days.”
South Boston resident Tom Angelillo agreed that both sides will need to come together to prevent future violence.
“There’s a lot of folks that are on the other side of the aisle, we get along just fine,” he said. “We know where we stand and we respect each other. That’s how it used to be and we need to bring that back.”
The vigil was organized by former Boston City Council candidate Brian Foley ahead of Kirk’s memorial service this weekend in Arizona.
“We gather not only to honor Charlie’s leadership and his unwavering voice for America, but to stand together as proud patriots committed to faith, freedom, and our great nation,” Foley said in a Facebook post. “This vigil is more than remembrance, it is a statement of unity and resolve against those who wish to weaken the values we hold dear.”
Kirk was one of the co-founders of Turning Point USA, a nonprofit organization “that advocates for conservative politics on high school, college, and university campuses,” according to the organization’s website.
He was also the host of the podcast, “The Charlie Kirk Show”, and had recently been traveling to college campuses across the country to openly debate people.
Boston police maintained a heavy presence around the Common, closing off parts of Beacon Street and Park Street and erecting metal barriers to maintain distance between the vigil and a small group of protesters.
The protestors marched along the barriers, chanting with a bullhorn and holding a large sign that read, “Fascists get off our lawn.”
The evening was largely peaceful and those attending the vigil seemed unfazed by the protesters.
“There was a protester out here that made some noise, but I think if Charlie were here, he’d probably welcome him to a debate,” said Angelillo.
The Boston Police Department said at least two people were arrested during the vigil, one for disorderly conduct and a juvenile in possession of a knife. Police said there were no reports of injuries.
