Erika Kirk and Turning Point USA have responded to the vandalism of the newly erected statue of Charlie Kirk in Phoenix, calling the offense “diabolical.”
Over the weekend, vandals used red spray paint to deface the statue of the late founder of Turning Point USA and cross out his face and the word Jesus depicted on a nearby memorial sign. The statue was erected outside of the organization’s headquarters in Phoenix on Thursday to honor Charlie Kirk on the first anniversary of his assassination.
“Charlie once said we should be building two statues for every statue that they tear down,” Erika Kirk wrote on X. “His instinct was always to build, not to destroy. They thought a bullet would silence my husband’s voice but it only made it louder. They think spray paint can obscure his legacy, but it will only spread it further. Every attempt to tear down what Charlie built makes us root deeper and work even harder.”
The red spray paint, which was found overnight on Saturday, was painted on Kirk’s neck and face, with a frowning face also painted on his stomach.
“Vandalism like this is not funny, it’s diabolical,” Turning Point USA wrote on X. “The incident happened in the middle of the night because evil never sleeps.”
The vandals also defaced a nearby memorial sign to Kirk that read, “May Charlie be received into the merciful arms of Jesus, our loving Savior.”
“If you think crossing out the name of Jesus Christ will silence Christians, history has already proved you wrong,” Erika Kirk added in her statement. “We know what it costs to stand firm for Christ and we will stand anyway. God will not be mocked.”
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Turning Point USA said it would work with local law enforcement to find the perpetrators of the vandalism and hold them accountable.
In early September, Utah Judge Tony Graf ruled that Charlie Kirk’s suspected assassin, Tyler Robinson, will stand trial on murder charges. The date for the trial has not been set yet, but the next hearing in the case will take place on Oct. 23 and could be set then.