By NATHAN WILK/KLCC News
EUGENE — An estimated 1,000 people gathered Saturday evening at a candlelight vigil honoring conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed Wednesday while speaking at a university in Utah.
The sea of people marched from Alton Baker Park through the streets of Eugene, chanting “we are Charlie Kirk” as many attendees donned MAGA hats and U.S. flags. Outside the University of Oregon’s Hayward Field, the crowd observed a moment of silence. The flags there were hung at half-staff in Kirk’s honor, under a recent order from Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek.
Attendees then helped lift an enormous American flag into the air. Organizers said it was the same one that hung off the side of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Kirk, 31, was the founder of Turning Point USA, and a leading voice on the Christian right. He was also an ally of President Donald Trump, who credited him with helping increase turnout among conservative youth.
But Kirk’s critics argued that some of his positions — including his opposition to same-sex marriage, his criticism of the separation of church and state, and his comments that women should “submit” to their husbands — were extreme.
At Saturday’s event, Portland-area right-wing activist and Patriot Prayer founder Joey Gibson told the crowd he was proud of Kirk, describing him as “fearless.” Gibson urged the crowd to forgive those who have celebrated the death of Kirk online.
“It’s hard when people keep coming after us, they keep killing us, they keep putting us in prison, constantly lying about us, taking away our jobs,” he said. “I get it. But the most important thing is that we continue to just love and stand tall and keep your faith in Jesus.”
The event in Eugene was among the largest public gatherings of conservatives in the city in recent years. Organizer Chris Tough called on the attendees to network for the future.
“We are the brick in the foundation of this patriot movement for America across the nation,” Tough told the crowd. “We have to build this network back.”
Tough asked attendees not to speak to members of the “mainstream media,” as he claimed they had vilified him and his fellow activists.
- This story originally appeared on KLCC, a nonprofit public radio station in Eugene and a news partner of Lincoln Chronicle.
