At memorial, Trump hails Charlie Kirk as ‘Martyr for American freedom’

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At the memorial event for slain US right-wing activist Charlie Kirk on Sunday, President Donald Trump and his supporters celebrated the 31-year-old’s life using the language of religious fervor.

“He’s a martyr now for American freedom,” Trump said of Kirk, who was killed on September 10 at a Utah university campus.

Trump was the final speaker to address nearly 65,000 people at the event, held at a stadium in the southwestern US state of Arizona, with people coming from far and wide to pay their respects.

“I look at him as a Christ martyr, definitely,” said Monica Mirelez, a 44-year-old nurse who drove more than 12 hours from Texas to attend Kirk’s memorial.

Mirelez told AFP she watched Kirk’s videos on Instagram every day.

“He was a perfect example of what we should be doing as Christians, we should be bold and speak up,” she said.

“It’s so sad that he was silenced like this,” Mirelez continued, adding that “it feels like losing a brother.” Punch