“Turning Point USA condemns in the strongest terms the TikTok audio trend that uses or references the assassination of our founder, Charlie Kirk, for entertainment.”
BREAKING UPDATE: Turning Point USA posted to X thanking TikTok for its removal of user videos that use the audio from founder Charlie Kirk's assassination. Several videos with the audio still exist.
"UPDATE: We have been informed that all known audio and videos have been removed. We thank TikTok for its prompt action," they said in the post.
Original story below.
Turning Point USA said it condemns “in the strongest possible terms” a viral TikTok trend in which users are using audio of late founder Charlie Kirk’s final words before his assassination as the soundtrack for outfit transition videos.
The organization responded on X after a video circulated online showing three teenage girls standing in casual clothing while audio of Kirk’s final moments plays in the background. In the clip, Kirk can be heard speaking during an event at Utah Valley University, where he was discussing gun violence and asking a questioner for clarification on crime statistics.
“Counting or not counting gang violence,” Kirk says in the audio before the shot that killed him rings out.
The girls appear to mouth the words before making hand motions mimicking a shooting gesture. The video then transitions to the group wearing what appears to be prom attire.
“Turning Point USA condemns in the strongest terms the TikTok audio trend that uses or references the assassination of our founder, Charlie Kirk, for entertainment,” the company said in a statement.
“Charlie Kirk was the victim of a real act of political violence. Turning that into viral content is grotesque and dehumanizing. There is nothing harmless, funny, or acceptable about it. It reflects a culture that trivializes violence and reduces real human loss to a punchline,” TPUSA continued. “This has no place on TikTok. Or anywhere. This audio needs to be removed.”
https://twitter.com/jackposobiec/status/2050699470191411421?s=46&t=bhRsCFycz_nOQT66mhEqCA
In his own reaction to the post, Jack Posobiec wrote that "the average person has no idea" how bad things are going to get, falling in line with his recent commentary on political violence and its normalization.
Since Kirk’s assassination at Utah Valley University last September, many on the left have continued to express either indifference or openly mock his killing. Other users have posted similar videos using the same audio for clothing transition edits, even mocking the reaction of the victims who watched the shooting take place.
https://twitter.com/BrianAtlas/status/2050932387266134355?s=20
Kirk’s alleged assassin, Tyler Robinson, is currently awaiting trial. Court filings submitted last Friday requested that portions of an upcoming preliminary hearing be closed to the public and that certain exhibits be sealed.
According to the filing, Robinson’s legal team asked the court to close "those portions of the preliminary hearing testimony which would not be admissible at trial or which, if publicly disclosed prior to trial, may prejudice Mr. Robinson’s constitutional right to a fair trial," and seal "exhibits presented at the preliminary hearing which would not be admissible at trial or which, if publicly disclosed prior to trial, may jeopardize Mr. Robinson’s constitutional right to a fair trial."
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