Weeks before Charlie Kirk’s assassination, left-wing student activists at Utah Valley University created a Change.org petition to prevent the Turning Point USA founder from speaking on campus.
The online campaign, signed by more than 940 supporters, called for the UVU school administration to block Kirk’s appearance.
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“As students at Utah Valley University, we have come to cherish an environment that strives for inclusivity and diversity,” read the petition’s description. “Yet, the planned speaking engagement of Charlie Kirk threatens this ideal. Kirk’s presence and the messages he delivers stand in contrast to the values of understanding, acceptance, and progress that many of us hold dear.”
Organizers of the campaign argued that the university’s decision to provide Kirk a platform conflicted with UVU’s tagline, “A place for you.” Amplifying a provocative figure “whose views are in direct opposition to these principles undermines UVU’s commitment,” the petition said.
“It’s imperative that UVU re-evaluates the decision to allow Charlie Kirk to speak,” the petition demanded. “We advocate for speakers who inspire inclusivity and unity, rather than division. Universities are meant to be places of learning, growth, and unity.”
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By urging UVU to disinvite Kirk, campaign organizers said, “[W]e are championing a campus environment where every student feels welcome and represented.”
Many remarks under the campaign’s comments section called Kirk a Nazi and a white supremacist spouting “fascist rhetoric.”
“No tolerance for Nazi f***s like Kirk. Stop the speaking or someone else will,” one supporter of the petition said.
“What would happen if a school club invited the KKK or the Patriot Front or the National Socialist – a.k.a. the modern Nazi movement in America?” another commenter wrote, likening Kirk to Ku Klux Klan members and neo-Nazis. “Kirk hijacks primarily young – I would say less educated, but I can’t because he himself dropped out of college – people to terrorize them in his debates.”
“I hope Willy beats the s*** out of him,” a separate post said, referring to UVU’s mascot, Willy the Wolverine.
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On the eve of Kirk’s speaking event, UVU student organizer Gabriel Zavala published a petition update lamenting the campaign’s failed efforts.
“I wish I were writing to report that UVU had chosen to act against platforming Charlie Kirk tomorrow, but unfortunately that is not the case,” Zavala wrote.
Ahead of Kirk’s visit, UVU had issued a Sept. 3 statement on “Free Expression and Neutrality,” though the statement did not directly mention him.
“At Utah Valley University, we affirm our commitment to free speech, intellectual inquiry, and constructive dialogue,” the statement said. “The university respects the rights of student clubs and organizations to invite various speakers to campus.”
As a public institution, UVU leadership said, the university “upholds First Amendment rights and fosters an environment where ideas — popular or controversial — can be exchanged freely, energetically, and civilly.”
The statement stressed that UVU does not take positions on political, social, or cultural issues, “unless they directly impact our mission, operations, or core values,” in alignment with the Utah System of Higher Education’s guidance on institutional neutrality.
“This neutrality ensures that our campus remains a true marketplace of ideas, where faculty, staff, and students are empowered to express viewpoints without institutional bias,” UVU explained.
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While faculty and staff at UVU are “encouraged to speak freely in their personal and academic capacities,” the statement said, institutional communications “must remain neutral.”
“Together, we can ensure UVU remains a place for everyone — where free expression thrives and all voices are respected,” the declaration concluded.
Zavala, one of the anti-Kirk petition organizers, responded to the UVU statement on Change.org.
“Neutrality in the face of harm contradicts the values of care, accountability, and results,” Zavala reacted. “Likewise, inclusion cannot exist if neutrality permits marginalization. UVU’s leadership must recognize when speech or actions on campus compromise student success, dignity, or belonging.”
The Washington Examiner reached out to the petition organizers for comment via Change.org’s media inquiry form.