A Republican lawmaker in Oklahoma has filed a bill to require public universities in the red state to build statues of Charlie Kirk following the right-wing activist’s assassination.
The legislation from Oklahoma state Sen. Shane Jett (R) — who leads the Oklahoma Freedom Caucus — looks to honor Kirk by establishing a “Charlie Kirk Memorial Plaza” that would be built “in a highly visible and easily accessible location” at public campuses, per the bill.
The statues of Kirk would see him either sitting at a table with an empty seat across from him or they would feature him and his wife holding their children.
The legislation also calls for signs “commemorating Charlie Kirk’s courage and faith” and explaining his role as a “voice of a generation, modern civil rights leader, vocal Christian, martyr for truth and faith, and free speech advocate.”
Other pieces of legislation filed by Jett include a bill that looks to designate Kirk’s birthday, Oct. 14, as “Charlie Kirk Free Speech Day” and a resolution that would require the state legislature to recognize and honor Kirk.
Oklahoma state Sen. Ally Seifried (R) filed similar resolution earlier in the week that looks for the chamber to honor Kirk, as well.
The bills and resolutions are set to be considered by the legislature when the body reconvenes in February.
Jett’s push for statues on public campuses arrives after David Keyes, a former adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, shared an AI-generated image of a “Charlie Kirk Free Speech Plaza” on X. The post has over 10 million views on the platform, as of Friday night.
“Every American university should have one of these,” Keyes wrote.
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The New College of Florida — a public institution whose board was overhauled by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2023 — plans to commission a privately-funded statue of Kirk that it hopes to stand for the college’s “commitment” to “defend and fight for free speech and civil discourse in American life.”