Mourners at Vigil in Utah Praise Charlie Kirk as ‘Christlike’ Martyr

Right as Sofía Longart left her Salt Lake City home, she looked at an American flag proudly displayed on a wall, took it down, and brought it with her to the south steps of the Utah Capitol for a candlelight vigil in memory of Charlie Kirk. The 51-year-old acquired the flag, which doubled as a cloak for the night, the first day she arrived in the Beehive State from her native Venezuela seven years ago. A day before the vigil, Longart, who joined a group of around 200 Utahns in mourning on Thursday, had never heard of Kirk. It wasn’t until she saw news of his killing during the first stop of his “American Comeback Tour,” at Orem’s Utah Valley University—located some 40 miles away—that she became enthralled with the conservative media personality’s message. “He was just a person [who] was speaking the truth,” she said. “He was calling out loud that we don’t have to lose our common sense, our logical thinking, our critical thinking.” Longart felt that attending and speaking at the impromptu memorial was a way of “giving back” some of what her adoptive country has given her: “a place to be, a job to feed myself, feed my daughter and also feed my family.” Aided by social media, the gathering was swiftly put together by 24-year-old West Valley City resident Bailey Saddler, who was surprised by the turnout. “Charlie was just someone who cared about people, and whether he disagreed with them or not, he loved them all—and you could tell that in the way he spoke,” the novice organizer told TIME. “So it’s great to see how many people loved Charlie back.” Struck by similar sorrow that took over Longart, Saddler, a home baker and Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints sister missionary, said she was stunned when she first heard of Kirk’s death. “It just broke my heart, and I was sobbing,” she said. “I didn’t know why it was hitting me so hard, because I didn’t know him, but he just spread love and truth in God, so I knew I needed to come share my love with others.” Kirk, an outspoken Christian conservative, often stoked flames of divisiveness during his rise to fame and political influence. Extreme views on race relations, LGBTQ rights, feminism, abortion, and other contentious topics were the bread-and-butter of his viral “Prove Me Wrong” debate sessions across college campuses. None of it, Saddler considers, conflicted with her staunch Mormon faith. “I think he believed what he believed and I believe what I believe, and that’s OK,” she said. “Even though we might differ in some things, that’s OK, because we still loved the same God.” Among the crowd at the vigil were young couples with kids in tow, a 20-something serviceman dressed in Army fatigues, white-haired retirees, and a quartet of male teens donning white T-shirts emblazoned with handwritten messages like “Charlie lives” and “Charlie’s voice will not be silenced even in death.” At one point, one of the teens took the mic and said he was “10 to 15 feet” away from Kirk during the fatal shooting, for which the assassin is still at large. “It makes me sad that we can’t just listen to one another without violence and hate,” he said, fighting back tears. “I believe Charlie is in paradise right now looking down upon every single one of us, and hoping that we can love one another,” he continued. “I hope all of you love one another like Charlie loved us; like Jesus loved us.” Longart spoke admiringly about Kirk’s ability to attract a diverse group of mourners. “People came together regardless of their background, regardless of their race, regardless of their origin,” she said. The Puerto La Cruz native also issued a warning, noting similarities between the current political climate in the U.S. and that of her home country at the time she emigrated. “Wake up, America,” she said. “I’m someone [who] had to leave her country because of the way it was torn apart, and I’ve started seeing that pattern here.” Before the crowd began to disperse, Saddler led attendees in a collective rendition of “Amazing Grace.” Swallowing her grief while collecting candles, the vigil organizer then reflected on what she called Kirk’s “Christlike” quality. “That’s what we’re all trying to do, right, become like Christ?” she mused. “It’s a hard feat. Like, I struggle every single day, but I’m just trying my best.”