Unionist youth figure hails 'very moving' declaration of forgiveness for killer of conservative Christian activist Charlie Kirk

Jay Basra told the News Letter that he found the massive memorial service for Mr Kirk, broadcast around the world overnight from Sunday to Monday, "very moving".

At that service, Erika Kirk declared that she forgives her late husband's alleged assassin.

Also voicing her admiration for this act of forgiveness was Diane Dodds, the DUP MLA whose husband Nigel was the target of a botched assassination bid by the IRA.

Mr Kirk was a father of two, aged 31, and was the founder of Turning Point USA, a conservative activist organisation which used public debates to try and spread its message among young Americans, particularly students.

He was also an evangelical Christian.

He was shot to death by a sniper at Utah Valley University on September 10.

A 22-year-old man, widely reported to be an opponent of conservatism, is charged with his murder.

A memorial service for him was staged in the State Farm Stadium, west of Phoenix, which has a capacity of almost 65,000, and was attended by Donald Trump, JD Vance, Elon Musk, and other major right-wing figures.

“My husband, Charlie, he wanted to save young men just like the one who took his life,” Mrs Kirk told the crowd, before adding: "I forgive him."

Mr Basra, a 21-year-old final-year Queen's University Belfast politics and history student and part-time worker for UUP MLA Diana Armstrong is chairman of the university’s Young Unionists society.

A born-again Christian, he had watched snippets of the ceremony, and of the declaration of forgiveness he said: "I thought it was very, very moving.

"I think it's quite a difficult thing to do, to forgive somebody. As a Christian we're called to forgive people who've wronged against us, and I think it's a massive step to do that publicly.

"I opens you up to scrutiny and ridicule – people will say 'why do you forgive them if they have not repented themselves?'

"I think in itself it says quite a lot about the character of Charlie Kirk and his family and their values as Christians, how deeply they hold them and how well they exercise them.

"I think there's plenty of people who have been moved, particularly at the university level. I think many will share a similar opinion."

He added: "I think him dying has raised his profile to the point where he's unforgettable.

"What they [the killer] have done is raised his profile and his message farther than he could ever have reached himself."

Lady Dodds voiced similar views.

Four days before Christmas 1996, the IRA had sent a duo to kill her husband, then a Belfast councillor, whilst they were visiting their sick son (then aged about six) in the children’s wing of the Royal Victoria Hospital.

The would-be killers were confronted by police and opened fire, shooting one of the officers. The Doddses were unhurt.

Lady Dodds told the News Letter she had seen clips of Erika Kirk at the service talking about forgiveness for her husband's assassin.

"It was an incredibly brave thing to do - incredible," she said.

"It won't stop the processes of the rule of law, but actually I suppose as a Christian allows her to get on with her life and the Turning Point mission.

"I thought it was incredibly brave. Not everyone would have had that grace."

She added: "I don't know if I was in a situation where I had the facts that she had that I'd have that mental ability to do it. It's an enormous thing she did."

Meanwhile Matthew Shanks of Queen’s University’s DUP association, the Democratic Unionist Association, said: “A number of our members watched the proceedings and were very moved by the sheer outpouring of emotion in honour of an inspirational and highly influential modern conservative figure.

"As a student society, the vast majority of our members are of the generation that Charlie Kirk was of a particular inspiration to, and we consider his passing a major loss.

"The most poignant moment of the memorial service was undoubtedly his widow, Erika Kirk, announcing her forgiveness for his killer – a truly exemplary example of the teachings of Jesus Christ.

"In this, we see the power of Christ’s message despite such horrendous circumstances.

"The immense gathering of people at the service was a testament to the reach Charlie's message had and to the power behind it.

"Undoubtedly, many people who were present in the stadium, and beyond, will share our grief, but also our determination to ensure his legacy lives on.”