The breadth and depth of support for Charlie Kirk was on full display over the weekend as political leaders, activists and mourners around the globe attended rallies, memorials and vigils honoring the assassinated 31-year-old conservative.
Refusing to be silenced by violence and hatred, Mr. Kirk’s followers promised to carry on his legacy by advocating for free speech and furthering his tireless pursuit of drawing young people to the conservative gospel through debate.
“Our friend Charlie would not want us to be consumed by despair; he would want us to carry his message forward, and that is exactly what is going to happen,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, Louisiana Republican, said on “Fox News Sunday.”
Mr. Johnson joined fellow lawmakers, conservative leaders and members of the Trump administration for a memorial service and prayer vigil Sunday at the Kennedy Center in Washington.
It was part of a massive global outpouring of support that Mr. Kirk, his wife, Erika, and their two young children received from young and old since he was killed Wednesday on the first stop of Turning Point USA’s “America Comeback Tour” at Utah Valley University.
Tyler Robinson, 22, has been arrested in connection with the shooting and will be formally charged in court Tuesday.
The ramifications were felt across the pond in Britain, where Coldplay’s lead singer, Chris Martin, asked a crowd at Wembley Stadium to send love to the Kirk family.
Mr. Kirk’s memory was also invoked at a “Unite the Kingdom” rally Saturday in London. The anti-immigration protest drew 100,000 people, including demonstrators who honored Mr. Kirk with banners and signs.
Impromptu vigils were held for Mr. Kirk in Berlin, Madrid and Rome.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, a leading figure on Europe’s political right, condemned leftist commentators in her country for downplaying an attack that she called “a deep wound for democracy and for those who believe in freedom.”
In the United States, NASCAR driver Christopher Bell dedicated his Saturday win at Bristol Motor Speedway to Mr. Kirk. “This one’s for Charlie,” Mr. Bell said.
Before kickoff Sunday, National Football League teams held a moment of silence honoring Mr. Kirk.
“We’ve seen the impact that Charlie was having across the world,” Andrew Kolvet, executive producer of “The Charlie Kirk Show,” said on “Sunday Morning Futures.” “It has been truly amazing to see that when such a terrible act has happened, the people who loved him most are not rioting, they are not burning down cities or businesses. They are praying and lighting candles in his honor.”
In a social media post, Mr. Kolvet announced that the organization had received more than 32,000 requests in 48 hours to launch campus chapters for high school and college students.
TPUSA has about 900 college chapters and 1,200 high school chapters.
“The reason he resonated, I believe, so widely and so broadly across the world was because he himself was good,” Mr. Kolvet said. “You can’t emulate that, you can’t fake that.”
More than 2,000 people registered for the vigil in Washington, which attracted a cross-generational audience, including Daniel Howell, 67, of Virginia.
“It’s very sad what happened to him because nobody should be targeted just for what they say,” Mr. Howell said. “He was very open to discuss anything with anybody.
“I guess we need more people to just not be upset at people with different feelings, to just discuss issues. Otherwise, you’d never go forward,” he said.
Celeste Sellinger, 18, said she has followed Mr. Kirk for years.
“He was a huge inspiration to me, and really led me to God,” Ms. Sellinger said. “He was a big reason that I started believing in my values.”
A memorial service has been scheduled for State Farm Stadium in Arizona on Sunday.
His wife, Erika, delivered a powerful message Friday, saying the “evildoers responsible for my husband’s assassination have no idea what they have done.”
“But they should all know this: If you thought that my husband’s mission was powerful before, you have no idea,” she said in a video statement. “You have no idea what you just have unleashed across this entire country, and this world.”
Eric Trump, a son of President Trump, echoed the sentiment. He said strangers have approached him to offer their condolences and praise for Mr. Kirk.
“There is that famous quote right after Pearl Harbor: I think we have just awoken a sleeping giant and filled him with terrible resolve, and it kind of rings true here,” Mr. Trump said on “Sunday Morning Futures.”
“Everybody over the last couple of days has been talking about how Charlie has created the greatest youth movement. What has happened with this assassination is it has affected everybody,” he said. “This is a hit on our country, it is a hit on our movement, it is a hit on Christianity, it is a hit on religion, it is a hit on freedom, it, you know, kind of emphasized that dichotomy between good and evil in our country, and they truly have awoken that sleeping giant.”
• Mallory Wilson contributed to this report.