“We Don’t Want His Likeness On Campus”: Protesters Move To Block Kirk Memorial At UVU

Authored by Jonathan Turley,

A plan at Utah Valley University (UVU) to create a memorial to Charlie Kirk has been met by protests and a petition signed by thousands to block the effort.

One protester declared, “We don’t want his likeness on campus.”

That is hardly a new sentiment since Kirk was assassinated on the campus on Sept. 10, 2025.

However, the protest shows the sense of license that many have in opposing anyone with conflicting views, including those represented in memorials.

I have a long history with UVU and was pleased to receive the Madison award from the university, and was declared an honorary faculty member years ago. It is a wonderful academic institution with a growing and vibrant intellectual community.

It was, therefore, particularly shocking to see that UVU was the scene of the assassination of Kirk and then to watch this protest over an effort to memorialize the advocate for free speech.

The UVU Students for a Democratic Society led the protests this week. One student, Collin Grannis, told KSTU, “We don’t want his likeness on campus; we don’t want his likeness sort of immortalized.”

Student Abagael Woods added, “For one thing, it’s going to get vandalized — there’s no way it’s not. And it’s going to re-traumatize a bunch of people.”

The suggestion that the school should not memorialize a victim of a criminal act due to the threat of additional criminal acts is chilling. It is not clear who would be “re-traumatized.” Some said that they were being traumatized by Kirk’s appearance at the school.  For supporters of Kirk, the argument that they should be protected from the trauma of further criminal acts is menacing and mendacious.

Woods reportedly recommended a “memorial for unity” like therapy dogs on campus. Presumably, no one would dare to spray paint or shoot a therapy dog.

Many, however, feel the same license to destroy memorials to Kirk around the country.

The protestors’ campaign has drawn significant online support, with an anti-memorial petition surpassing 15,000 signatures. Meanwhile, a competing petition in favor of the memorial has gathered more than 21,000 signatures.

Over 15,000 people have signed the petition, declaring that “[Kirk’s] words and actions caused pain and division, and we cannot ignore the impact of his negativity.” Kirk’s support for the Second Amendment is cited as one of the reasons to block any memorial. Instead, the petition declares, “our hearts ache for the countless children who have tragically lost their lives to gun violence in schools. Their memories deserve to be honored with dedicated memorials, serving as a constant reminder of the urgent need for change.”

The suggestion of possible criminal acts in response to the memorial should only reinforce the commitment of the university to create it. Critics can then enlist as many therapy dogs as are necessary to deal with it, but they should be expelled if they attempt to deface it.

None of this is particularly surprising, but it is depressing. It is a sad statement on the views of many that they cannot, even as critics of Kirk, support a memorial to express the deep sadness over his murder on their campus. Kirk was someone who invited debate and fought for a diversity of opinion on campuses. Yet, even his memorial is now the subject of a cancel campaign.