Erika Kirk, Charlie Kirk’s widow, says she forgives man accused of murder

During an emotional address at his public memorial in Glendale, Arizona, the widow of rightwing youth organizer Charlie Kirk said she forgives the man charged with killing her husband.

“My husband, he wanted to save young men, just like the one who took his life,” Erika Kirk said, before an at-capacity crowd. “That man, that young man – I forgive him. I forgive him because it was what Christ did, and it is what Charlie would do.”

Those in the stadium rose to their feet in applause.

Prosecutors have charged Tyler Robinson, 22, of fatally shooting Charlie Kirk on 10 September at Utah Valley University (UVU). Robinson, of Utah, could face the death penalty if convicted.

Authorities have said Robinson texted his partner after the shooting that he had had enough of Kirk’s “hatred”. In an interview with the New York Times published on Sunday, Erika Kirk said she had been asked whether she wants to see the suspect face the death penalty.

She remarked: “I’ll be honest. I told our lawyer, I want the government to decide this. I do not want that man’s blood on my ledger.

“Because when I get to heaven, and Jesus is like, ‘Uh, [an] eye for an eye? Is that how we do it?’ And that keeps me from being in heaven, from being with Charlie?”

In her remarks at State Farm Stadium, Erika Kirk vowed to continue her husband’s work as the newly appointed leader of the group he founded, Turning Point USA.

“The answer to hate is not hate,” she said. “The answer we know from the gospel is love and always love – love for our enemies and love for those who persecute us.”

Kirk was shot dead during the first stop on his “American Comeback” tour of college campuses. His death has sparked a fierce political debate about the power of words, decency, rising violence and free speech.

Many prominent conservatives have sought to cast blame on the left for Kirk’s assassination. Several speakers, including the president, demonized Democrats and accused them of fomenting violence, even though elected officials and party leaders condemned the murder.

“I hate my opponents, and I don’t want the best for them,” Donald Trump said in his remarks at the memorial. The president added: “I’m sorry, Erika.”

Kirk’s killing was the latest act of political violence that has targeted Republicans and Democrats in recent years.

The hours-long service included remarks from several members of Trump’s Make America Great Again (Maga) movement, including the vice-president JD Vance, who was a close personal friend of Kirk’s.