Well-known conservative political activist Charlie Kirk was allegedly assassinated by 22-year-old Tyler Robinson during a Sept. 10th debate at Utah Valley University. Kirk was famous for his online presence and frequent debates with college students about issues such as immigration policy, abortion and gun rights.

Since Kirk’s assassination, many students along the Midpeninsula have expressed diverse reactions and opinions to the event.

One reaction among students has been sadness and shock.

“It was tragic,” an anonymous student at Palo Alto High School said. “I enjoyed watching skits of him on YouTube shorts. … It [Kirk’s assassination] is a real tragedy.”

Palo Alto High School sophomore Luke Dymmel said one reason Charlie Kirk had been assassinated was that he was speaking the truth and expressing his political views.

“They [the left wing] knew he [Kirk] was right about so many things, and they couldn’t stand that,” Dymmel said. “It shows, kind of, how the left deals with stuff.”

However, other students like Gunn High School senior Elijah Williams are looking past the political aspects and thinking about the effects of the assassination.

“It [Kirk’s assassination] will be a wake-up call,” Williams said. “A lot of people are going to be more enlightened on what political tension can really bring and why it’s important to look at all sides of an equation.”

Others also expressed similar sentiments. Despite their political differences from Kirk, students believed violence was not an appropriate response to political disagreements.

“Even though he [Kirk] did things that I do not agree with, … [and] I thought he was kind of a bad person, I still do not believe he should’ve been killed,” an anonymous student at Gunn High said. “I don’t think anyone should’ve been killed.”