Columbia University student activist Khymani James, previously banned for decrying that “Zionists don’t deserve to live,” took to social media on Wednesday to celebrate the assassination of Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk. While some left-leaning influencers expressed condolences after Kirk was shot at Utah Valley University, James doubled down with a series of tweets and retweets praising the killing and vilifying the conservative leader.
At 2:44 p.m., shortly after news of the attack, James tweeted, “More. MORE!!!” Minutes later, at 2:45 p.m., he added, “Down with all the fascists,” followed by a heart-eyes emoji.
James also retweeted a September 10 post from activist @CallaWalsh that stated, “Charlie Kirk challenged me to a debate when I was 17 and this is how I responded. Thoughts and prayers for the bullet.”
Throughout the afternoon, James amplified similar reactions. He reposted a message from @SocialistMMA declaring, “I will never mourn a genocide apologist. Not sorry, rest in piss.” A retweet from @zei_squirrel compared Kirk’s assassination to violence in the Middle East, remarking, “what was done to Charlie Kirk has been done to countless Palestinian babies, children, girls, boys, women and men … As Malcolm said, the chickens have come home to roost.” James shared a follow-up from the same thread alleging that 15-year-old Jana Zakarneh was “intentionally targeted and murdered by Israeli death squads.”
James also echoed posts invoking violent rhetoric. One from @CallaWalsh, read, “If terror is going to be the choice of weapons, let there be funerals on both sides. George Jackson.” He also highlighted a post from @HadiNasrallah that said, “Praying for all the Palestinians he justified massacring when he unapologetically supported the genocide.”
At 3:07 p.m., James posted, “be careful what you post and it’s people rightfully celebrating the inevitable and just fate of fascists. anywho… NO ONE MOURNS THE WICKED,” ending with a laughing emoji.
Other retweets included a post comparing Kirk’s assassination to Adolf Hitler’s suicide — “If Twitter was around when Hitler put one in his skull some of you guys would be like ah man I know he did some fucked up shit but no one deserves this” — and another asserting, “I think Nazis should be shot, actually. There was a war about this.”
James further retweeted a claim that Kirk was killed by a “professionally trained sniper” in “capitalist on capitalist violence,” and another deriding Kirk’s previous comments on empathy: “according to kirk, empathy is a made-up new age term, so keep the jokes coming. it’s what he would’ve wanted.”
Unlike leftist influencers such as Democrat activist Harry Sisson, who shifted tone and offered condolences after initially mocking Kirk in past posts, James remained unrelenting in his hostility.
Rather than softening his stance, James joined a wave of voices who openly applauded Kirk’s death. A Florida anesthesiologist announced she was “really glad” he was shot, a Pennsylvania teacher said he deserved no empathy, and a Tennessee assistant dean declared she had zero sympathy. A DC Comics writer ridiculed him with crude posts, and an NBA beat reporter described him as an “evil man” whose life was devoted to “hateful rhetoric.”
Kirk, 31, was shot in the neck during a speech at Utah Valley University and later pronounced dead at a local hospital. President Donald Trump announced Kirk’s death on Truth Social, ordering U.S. flags lowered to half-staff and hailing him as “The Great, and even Legendary, Charlie Kirk.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also honored Kirk, calling him a “lion-hearted friend of Israel” who was “murdered for speaking truth and defending freedom.” In a statement on X, Netanyahu said Kirk “fought the lies and stood tall for Judeo-Christian civilization,” revealing that he had spoken with Kirk just two weeks earlier and invited him to visit Israel — a trip that will now never take place.
Netanyahu emphasized Kirk’s steadfast defense of Israel as the founder of Turning Point USA, noting his “boundless pride in America and his valiant belief in free speech” would “leave a lasting impact.”
