A year after his death, conservative students struggle to fill void left by Kirk

Kirk made a name for himself by hosting debates on college campuses where he would spar with people who opposed his views. His popularity on campuses and online made him a rising star in the Republican Party, and President Donald Trump credited Kirk with helping getting young men to vote for him in the last election.

But critics argued that Kirk’s debates were designed purely to stoke outrage and garner social media attention, while promoting misogyny, racism and homophobia.

Since his death, some students at UVU have protested against a campus memorial to the conservative activist. They have also tried to stop an event memorialising him from taking place on Thursday, the anniversary of Kirk’s death.

Anthony Shinkle, another UVU student, notes how the school’s TPUSA chapter and socialist clubs are often in conflict with each other on campus.

He fears Kirk’s shooting, and its politically contentious aftermath, have made some supporters afraid to share their political ideology – and sent others further towards more extreme or fringe positions.

“These are impressionable people, impressionable youth,” he said, noting how they watched their political hero “be murdered very, very graphically”.

“I feel like the assassin got exactly what he wanted,” Shinkle, who turns 21 next month, says. “It really feels like there’s not anyone who can fill [Kirk’s] shoes.”

Earlier this month, a judge in Utah cleared the way for a trial of Tyler Robinson, the man accused of shooting Kirk. Robinson denies aggravated murder, a capital offence in the state, as well as six other charges.