USA · updated 2h ago · 3 min read
Charlie Kirk Statue Unveiling in Times Square Triggers Clashes Between Jake Lang and Counter-Protesters
Bronze statue honoring Charlie Kirk unveiled in Times Square, reportedly funded at $100,000. Supporters and counter-protesters clashed; police separated demonstrators, with no arrests reported.
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Times Square statue clashes
A Charlie Kirk statue unveiled in New York's Times Square on Thursday, the first anniversary of his assassination, triggered clashes between supporters and counter-protesters that police separated without making arrests, according to reporting from the scene.
“No arrests were reported by the New York Police Department.”
The unpermitted monument turned a commemoration into a confrontation, with the six-foot-five-inch bronze-painted statue depicting Kirk seated with a microphone and wearing a "FREEDOM" T-shirt.
The statue was created by Italian artist Sergio Furnari at a cost of about 100,000 US dollars, and the display had no permit or official authorisation from New York City or the Times Square Alliance, according to Outlook India's account of the unveiling.
Supporters led by activist Jake Lang faced opposing demonstrators in profanity-laden heckling and heated shouting matches, and a shoving altercation broke out between counter-protester Von Brown and supporter James Zeits before police stepped in.
Kirk, the 31-year-old founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed on September 10, 2025 while debating students at Utah Valley University in Orem.
Voices and competing framing
In Times Square, supporters and counter-protesters exchanged heated remarks as police intervened, and the episode put a political symbol in one of New York City's busiest public spaces, according to Outlook India.
An eyewitness told The U.S. Sun that supporters of Kirk arrived shortly before the statue was unveiled at around 2:35pm, but soon found themselves surrounded by a large crowd.
The U.S. Sun reported that supporters hit back at taunts insisting they are not Nazis and declaring that “Nazis are losers.”
The Mirror US en Español described Von Brown, 29, chanting "Go to hell, Charlie Kirk!" while wearing a black hooded sweatshirt featuring an animation of the moment a bullet hit the neck of the conservative activist, killing him.
The Mirror US en Español also reported that James Zeits, 49, accused Brown of "being racist" as the confrontation escalated and protesters were eventually separated.
What comes next and stakes
Beyond Times Square, Turning Point USA unveiled an 8-foot-tall statue of their co-founder at their headquarters in Phoenix on Sept. 10, 2026, and Fox 5 New York reported it sits outside the headquarters near 48th Street and Beverly Road.
“It will be brought inside by the end of the week for security reasons.”
Fox 5 New York said the statue will be brought inside by the end of the week for security reasons, as staff reflected on "one year without their founder" and Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona called it "hard to believe that we had that kind of political violence."
In the legal aftermath of Kirk's killing, Tyler Robinson, 23, has pleaded not guilty to charges including aggravated murder, and Fox 5 New York said Robinson's next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 23.
The Times Square statue episode also intersected with broader political commemoration, with the https | West Asian report noting Utah Governor Spencer Cox declared Charlie Kirk Day and wrote that citizens must reject violence and choose "a politics worthy of our country."
In the same anniversary coverage, the https | West Asian report said in Provo Judge Tony Graf ordered Tyler Robinson, 23, to stand trial on aggravated murder and six other counts on September 1, nine days before the anniversary.