On Sunday, a public memorial service was held at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, to honor Charlie Kirk, a hard-line commentator and the founder of Turning Point USA who was popular with young Americans on the right of the ideological spectrum, who was fatally shot earlier in September.The event drew tens of thousands of mourners from across the country and featured speeches by US President Donald Trump, prominent right-wing leaders and declarations portraying Kirk as a “symbol of conservative and Christian values.”Shortly after the service ended, viral social media posts claimed that “liberals” and Democrats had gathered outside the stadium to protest. Some even alleged that thousands of left-wing demonstrators had “raided” the memorial.A protester against the Charlie Kirk memorial sits in front of members of the Westboro Baptist Church protesting outside the memorial for Charlie Kirk at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. A protester against the Charlie Kirk memorial sits in front of members of the Westboro Baptist Church protesting outside the memorial for Charlie Kirk at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
Who were the protesters at Kirk’s funeral?
Claim: “Liberals” or “left-wing protesters” protested outside Charlie Kirk’s memorial service in large numbers.Most posts made vague claims about the video. For example, one version viewed by over 1.3 million users on X captioned the footage: “Imagine protesting a memorial service for a murdered father and husband and thinking you’re a good person. Really evil.” DW Fact check found several similar posts on X, each reaching millions of users. In the comments below these posts, countless users attributed the protest to “the Left,” “liberals” or Democrats.But some accounts explicitly claimed the protesters themselves were liberals or Democrats. One TikTok video, for instance, declared: “Protestors RAID CHARLIE’s MEMORIAL!!” in which the user says, “there are currently 5000 liberals right outside of the Charlie Kirk memorial ceremony” on screen. Meanwhile a user on X , called the protesters “disgusting retarded liberals.”The protesters outside the memorial were not liberals or Democrats — they were members of the Westboro Baptist Church, a fringe religious group based in Kansas.DW Fact check geolocated the footage to West Maryland Avenue, directly north of State Farm Stadium, where Glendale officials had set up designated “free speech zones.”Signs visible in the video, such as “Sins breed violence” and “America is doomed,” are consistent with Westboro Baptist Church rhetoric. Similar slogans have appeared in past gatherings, and such protests have been documented by US media.The Westboro Baptist Church’s website had publicly announced its intention to picket Kirk’s memorial. Reports by US media describe only a handful of protesters at the site, not the thousands claimed online.Westboro Baptist Church gained national attention during the Iraq War for targeting grieving families of service members with inflammatory slogans in Washington, D.C. in 2010 Westboro Baptist Church gained national attention during the Iraq War for targeting grieving families of service members with inflammatory slogans in Washington, D.C. in 2010. Westboro Baptist Church gained national attention during the Iraq war for targeting grieving families of service members with inflammatory
What is the Westboro Baptist Church?
The Westboro Baptist Church is notorious for staging inflammatory demonstrations at funerals and public events. The group, led for decades by Fred Phelps and now by members of his family, is infamous for its anti-LGBTQ views and hate speech.Since the 1990s, the group has picketed military funerals, schools and cultural events with offensive slogans. The group’s central message is that America is under divine judgment for tolerating what it considers sins, particularly homosexuality, abortion and secular or liberal values. They targeted Kirk as part of their long-standing tactic of using high-profile funerals to spread their message and attract media attention.Scholars and watchdog organizations often describe Westboro as a cult because it is tightly controlled by the Phelps family, enforces rigid internal discipline and isolates members from outside influences. Its confrontational protests and shock tactics sustain its visibility despite its very small size.While their actions are broadly condemned, the US Supreme Court ruled in 2011 that such protests are protected by the First Amendment. Authorities can restrict them only through buffer zones or time-and-place regulations.
