(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Several faculty members and instructors at Utah Valley University openly voiced opposition to Charlie Kirk in the weeks after he was killed while addressing thousands of supporters on campus, newly unearthed emails revealed.
The records, obtained by Judicial Watch through a Utah public-records request, reveal that some university faculty members expressed strong opposition to Kirk and objected to efforts to memorialize him, even as the country mourned Kirk’s death.
In one email, an unidentified UVU instructor urged university President Astrid S. Tuminez not to memorialize Kirk following his death.
“He spoke his prejudices openly, not to test free speech, but to shape minds,” the instructor wrote. “He targeted impressionable youth, feeding on their fears and anxieties.”
The instructor continued: “That is why we must resist any effort to memorialize him or turn him into an icon…. Charlie Kirk did not stand for civility, compassion, or truth. There was nothing civil about him.”
The instructor closed the message with one final warning: “To memorialize him would be a grave mistake.”
Another individual, identified by Judicial Watch as a “faculty member,” wrote to an unidentified recipient that they could not understand how people could mourn Kirk and demanded that he not be memorialized on campus.
“I’ve had a hard time dealing with the aftermath of the shooting on our campus, and in particular, I cannot understand how people could support or mourn someone who was so divisive and spewed such vituperation in his ‘debates,'” the individual wrote.
The same sender objected to Utah lawmakers’ “desire to desecrate our campus with a memorial to such a divisive and hateful public figure.”
“Please do not let it happen. It does not align with our brand of inclusiveness and welcoming,” the individual added. “Should a memorial to him be erected on our campus, I fear you will lose many faculty members, including myself.”
The individual further threatened that they “would not work at a university that supports Charlie Kirk’s ideals in any way.”
Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton criticized the sentiments expressed in the newly released records.
“Charlie Kirk was assassinated while exercising his right to speak on a college campus,” Fitton said. “These records reveal that, even as Utah Valley University publicly called for free expression and civil discourse, some faculty members were making hateful and vicious comments about him, objecting to his invitation to campus, and threatening to leave if his memory were honored.”
Judicial Watch Uncovers Anti-Charlie Kirk Emails at Utah University Following His Assassination READ: https://t.co/vAXzCznLn9 pic.twitter.com/g91x02xmQM
— Judicial Watch ⚖️ (@JudicialWatch) September 17, 2026
Kirk was killed on Sept. 10, 2025, on the official kickoff date of his “American Comeback Tour.” Utah prosecutors said that the alleged shooter, Tyler Robinson, carried out Kirk’s assassination in opposition to Kirk’s conservative views.
Robinson is facing state murder charges in connection with Kirk’s death.
The latest developments come as the Kirk family is reportedly preparing a lawsuit against the university over concerns that it lacked adequate security to protect Kirk despite ongoing threats.
Reports indicate that university security officers were supposed to secure the very rooftop from which Kirk was reportedly shot.
Kirk died from a single gunshot wound to the neck. He was 31 years old and left behind his wife, Erika Kirk, and their two young children.
