A newly installed bronze statue of the slain right-wing activist Charlie Kirk was vandalized just days after it was unveiled outside Turning Point USA’s headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona. Tyler Bowyer, the organization’s chief operating officer, said on Sunday that the statue and an accompanying sign were defaced with red spray paint.

“This morning we woke up to radical criminals vandalizing our Headquarters. Crossing over Charlie’s face, scratching out Jesus and the Cross & spraying red paint on his neck,” Bowyer wrote on X. The incident underscores the deepening political divisions in the United States.

The statue was unveiled on Thursday to mark one year since Kirk’s death. Kirk, a co-founder of Turning Point and a staunch ally of US President Donald Trump, was fatally shot while speaking to students at Utah Valley University. The man accused of killing him, Tyler Robinson, pleaded not guilty to murder charges earlier this month and faces a possible death penalty.

Phoenix police confirmed they received calls on Sunday morning about a vandalized memorial outside Turning Point’s headquarters. The organization accused the vandals of intentionally spraying the statue’s neck—the exact spot where Kirk was shot in the attack, which was captured on video.

“We will restore the statue and replace the signs, but we are also reviewing the footage of the incident and are working with law enforcement to identify who did this and hold them accountable,” Turning Point said in a post on X. The vandalism has further inflamed tensions surrounding Kirk’s legacy and the broader political climate.

Source: www.aljazeera.com