Charlie Kirk Receives Warm Welcome from Cops, Outsiders at UCR
By Daniel Graham
Riverside - CA
University of California, Riverside (UCR) found its guest lots filled to capacity on a sunny, Friday afternoon. Students and unaffiliated spectators gathered around the UCR’s bell-tower to attend a “Prove Me Wrong” panel hosted by Turning Point USA’s (TPUSA) Charlie Kirk, as part of the organization’s “American Comeback Tour.” UCR was the last stop on the tour that started in February, 2025 at the University of South Florida.
TPUSA described the national tour as an opportunity to “debate conventional narratives promoted by liberal academia,” such as efforts to mitigate discrimination commonly called “diversity, equity and inclusion” or DEI and womens’ bodily autonomy. Despite the warm weather, the event drew an ample crowd of over 1000 people, according to an officer on the scene. Many of those in attendance were middle-aged and unaffiliated with the university.
Exchanges between event attendees and counter-protestors. Photo By Daniel Graham
Kirk, a 31-year-old community college dropout, founded TPUSA IN 2012 and has since turned the organization into a “well-funded media operation,” according to the New York Times. A critic of Trump in 2016, Kirk has since pivoted to ardent support of his administration and uses his platform to amplify white-supremacist conspiracy theories such as the Great Replacement Theory and claiming that diversity, equity, and inclusion must be replaced with a meritocracy.
A small, student-led counter-demonstration situated itself in the form of an encampment in a grass plot across from the panel. A university squad car and officers parked nearby to monitor them. The demonstrators did not offer any comments. They wore shirts depicting various phrases such as “no human is illegal” and “healthcare is a human right.”
“I’m not affiliated with a club; I’m just anti-Charlie Kirk,” remarked another student passing out fliers warning against engaging with Kirk in “bad-faith debates.” The flier continues to explain Kirk’s presence as “purposely inflammatory…to spread bigotry and divisiveness” and to “create ‘gotcha’ moments for his online platform.”
The College Democrats of UCR also advised students to walk out and “avoid attending or engaging with the event hosted by Turning Point USA.”
The efforts of local punk bands to organize a counter-protest show–similar to the one that took place at San Francisco State University earlier this week–were foiled. A musician, gig bag in hand, found themselves stopped by an officer in the parking lot. Mustard Grass, one of the bands scheduled to perform later posted to their Instagram “The police shut down our peaceful protest concert and we had to play at a park. Death to Charlie 2025.”
A number of Kirk supporters wandered amongst the crowd with cameras, attempting to goad students into debating with them on stances such as the morality of abortion. One such protestor trying to engage with the student-led demonstration was quickly intercepted by bystanders and led away from the encampment.
Campus police officers monitoring counter demonstrators. Photo By Daniel Graham
The debate panel itself was anything but—Kirk quickly spoke over under-prepared students and praised those that agreed with him, moving through potential debaters in quick succession. After a self-proclaimed “win,” Kirk took a moment to throw a number of MAGA hats into the crowd and proceeded to sign some at the end of the event.
Despite the event closing with minimal obstruction, 6 university police officers formed a loose half-circle around the student demonstrators, while another squad monitored a group of students donning masks and studded attire until they left the event. Officers also made small talk with the MAGA crowd that approached them throughout the event.