Headline Roundup • September 15th, 2025
Online Speculation Attempts to Link Charlie Kirk's Shooter with Groypers, Alt-Right Ideology
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Though investigators have not found a conclusive motive for Charlie Kirk’s suspected shooter, online speculation has linked Tyler Robinson to an alt-right group known as “groypers.”
What Are Groypers? The Telegraph (Lean Right bias) described “Groypers” as “an extreme online faction led by Right-winger Nick Fuentes that takes joy in trolling and mocking mainstream conservatives, including Kirk.” The group holds beliefs akin to white Christian nationalism, according to The Telegraph. According to Forbes (Center), the group first emerged around 2019, and at the time “Fuentes ordered his followers” to target and heckle events, including some held by Kirk.
What Are the Alleged Connections to Robinson? The Telegraph referenced an image of Robinson recreating a pose from an internet meme of Pepe the Frog which the outlet claims is often associated with the alt-right group. This picture is from 2018, when the suspect was around 15 years old, which the outlet did not note. Both Vanity Fair (Lean Left) and Forbes noted the inscription on one of the unfired bullets, which read, “O Bella ciao, Bella ciao, Bella ciao, Ciao, ciao!” This seems to reference an Italian anti-fascist song that has appeared on a Spotify playlist reportedly intended for Groypers. Other bullets read:
- “Notices bulges OwO what’s this?” referencing an online meme making fun of furry culture “often [used] by those on the extreme Right,” according to The Telegraph;
- “Hey Fascists, Catch!” – next to an up arrow symbol, right arrow symbol, and three down arrow symbols, referencing how to complete a bomb strike in the video game Helldivers 2; and
- “If you read this, you are gay lmao.”
Response From Fuentes: Fuentes wrote on X, “My followers and I are currently being framed for the murder of Charlie Kirk by the mainstream media based on literally zero evidence.”
How the Media Covered It: The Telegraph, Vanity Fair, and Forbes all noted that these ideas are speculative and that authorities have not yet identified Robinson’s motive. The Telegraph referenced other recent young male alleged killers who have also referenced memes in their crimes. It also noted that Robinson’s “alleged romantic relationship with a transgender roommate have led to more speculation” about his motive. Vanity Fair wrote that the memes referenced on the bullets “signal little beyond a connection to a contextless internet.” Forbes reported that “a number of Groypers were identified as rioters at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.”
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Featured Coverage of this Story
The Telegraph, from Kirk's Facebook Page
Squatting low in a black tracksuit and with a flat cap pulled over his eyes, Tyler Robinson looks at first glance like any other teenager.
But to the niche and often dark corners of the internet where Mr Robinson appears to have spent much of his time, the suspect in the Charlie Kirk killing is performing a so-called slouched “Slav squat”.
The pose and the clothes he is wearing in the photo, shared proudly by his mother, form the basis of an internet meme that has long been associated with...
On Friday morning, Tyler Robinson—the suspected killer of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk—was taken into custody after a two-day manhunt. (According to an affidavit obtained by People, he’s likely to face charges, including aggravated murder.) At a public briefing, FBI director Kash Patel and Utah governor Spencer Cox revealed that the shooter’s bullet casings were allegedly inscribed with bizarre messages: One read “Notices bulges OwO what’s this?” Unfired cartridges in the magazine allegedly read “Hey fascist! Catch!,”followed by five arrow symbols: one up, one right, and three down. Two others read “Oh Bella ciao Bella ciao Bella ciao ciao ciao” and “If you...
Groypers appeared to emerge as a far-right political movement in 2019 as followers of Fuentes, with similar beliefs to other alt-right and white supremacist groups and grounded in traditional Christian values, characterizing themselves as “American nationalists," according to the Institute for Strategic Dialogue.
The group is named after a racist-coded version of the “Pepe” meme affiliated with the alt-right, which members use online to clash with other conservatives.
In 2019, Fuentes ordered his followers to target question-and-answer events held by conservatives who aligned with President Donald Trump, including a series of events hosted by...
