A year after Charlie Kirk was murdered in front of thousands of onlookers at a debate event at Utah Valley University, the assassination continues to divide the Claremont Colleges. The anniversary of the murder prompted celebrations on campus and online, which drew national attention on X. Students the Independent interviewed expressed concern that the normalization of political violence chilled free expression on campus.

Charlie Kirk, right-wing commentator and father of two, was shot and killed Wednesday while speaking to a crowd of college students. Only two days earlier, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression released its 2026 report about free speech on America’s college campuses.