• Security tight as memorial crowd exceeds 63,000 people.
• Trump speech casts Charlie Kirk as conservative martyr.
• Mourners say activist died for political, religious freedom.

Some called Charlie Kirk a modern martyr. Others said his death was a pivotal moment for the US.

The potent blend of politics and religion that captivated the Sunday afternoon memorial service for the slain conservative activist left little doubt that Kirk’s death had elevated him to iconic status for the American right.

The event at State Farm Stadium outside Phoenix drew some of the most powerful political and religious voices in the country, led by President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, Kirk’s widow Erika and many others. Its size, intensity and patriotic pageantry eclipsed many of Trump’s own campaign rallies last year.

But the impact of Kirk’s assassination as he spoke on a Utah college campus on September 10 may have been most vividly demonstrated by the more than 63,000 regular people who filled the stadium to honour and mourn him. Many had driven or flown thousands of miles to be there.

Cindy Warford, 62, said she and her 13- and 15-year-old granddaughters listened regularly to Kirk, who hosted a podcast and spoke on college campuses. The girls have been hit particularly hard by his death, she said.

“I really feel this is this generation’s Martin Luther King or JFK or even 9/11 – that we lived through,” she said. “This has hit them really hard, because Charlie was talking to them.”

Warford was referring to the assassination of Democratic President John F. Kennedy in 1963, the assassination of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr in 1968 and the attacks on US targets in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania on September 11, 2001.

Pivotal moments for US conservatives

The melding of religiosity and speechifying at the memorial reinforced the perception that Kirk’s shooting death was a galvanising moment for US conservatives in their fight against the left.

Rob Hartz, a business analyst from Arizona in his 50s, described Kirk as inspirational and a martyr for conservative values.

Kirk, 31, ran Turning Point USA, a youth voter turnout organisation for Republicans. He was well known among college students and conservative activists. But the turnout on Sunday showed he became a far bigger figure for the right in death than in life.

Most on the US left, while decrying Kirk’s murder, do not see him as a martyr. They view him as a polarizing figure, as he divided public opinion with remarks about Black Americans, LGBTQ communities, Muslims and immigrants.

Many of the early speakers on Sunday compared the service to a religious revival event, which is known for passionate preaching and intense crowd reactions. Biblical scripture was placed on seats, and Christian-themed music was frequently played.

Throngs of people, most Trump supporters and wearing a combination of red, white and blue, as organisers had requested, began queuing in the pre-dawn hours.

When they entered the stadium, they saw two giant electronic screens – 45 feet wide by 26 feet high – showing an image of Kirk kissing his wife, Erika. Flanking those screens were two American flags, each 20 feet by 30 feet.

Kirk died for freedom

Many people who attended said Kirk had died for the cause of religious and political freedom.

“Look around this place,” said US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. “The president of the United States is here. His entire cabinet is here. I just came from overseas, and every country I stopped, they gave us their condolences for his passing.”

For several hours before politicians took the stage, the crowd sang and swayed along to bands playing a message of Christian faith, and they prayed for Kirk and America.

In the corridors of the stadium, framed pictures of Kirk and his widow sat on pedestals. Kirk merchandise was for sale, including red baseball caps – an homage to Trump’s signature MAGA head gear – with simply KIRK emblazoned on them.

Trump and Vance have said his murder at a Utah college campus should trigger scrutiny of left-wing groups. A 22-year-old technical college student has been charged with Kirk’s killing. Investigators say he told his romantic partner in text messages that he had killed Kirk because he had “had enough of his hate.”

“Charlie was a martyr for his beliefs. The movement that Charlie created was always meant to outlive him, but no one expected it to be this soon,” said Adam Pennings, 25, who had flown in from Dallas, Texas and lined up at 5 a.m. to attend Kirk’s memorial.

Antonina Gagliano, 58, drove from San Diego to pay tribute to Kirk. She said she didn’t know him well, but her son followed him online.

“His mission is going to grow a hundredfold,” she said.

President Donald Trump on Sunday said he would defend Poland and the Baltic states in case of an escalation from Russia, following Moscow’s incursion into Estonia’s airspace.

Asked whether he would help defend the EU members if Russia intensifies hostilities, Trump told reporters: “Yeah, I would. I would.”

Estonia has requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Monday following Friday’s incursion.

Three Russian MiG-31 fighters violated Estonian airspace over the Gulf of Finland, triggering complaints of a dangerous new provocation from the European Union and Nato but a denial from Moscow.

Italian F-35 fighters attached to Nato’s air defense support mission in the Baltic states, along with Swedish and Finnish aircraft, were scrambled to intercept the Russian jets and warn them off.

Asked whether he had been briefed on the situation in Estonia, Trump answered in the affirmative and added: “We don’t like it.”

His statement came about two weeks after some 17 Russian drones violated Polish airspace, in incident Trump then sought to downplay.

“It could have been a mistake,” Trump told journalists on September 11.

• Canadian PM offers partnership for peaceful future.
• Three major Western nations all boost Palestinian cause.
• Move sure to irk Israel and its closest ally US.

Britain, Canada, and Australia all recognised a Palestinian state on Sunday in a move borne out of frustration over the Gaza war and intended to promote a two-state solution but which is also bound to anger Israel and its main ally, the United States.

The three nations’ decision aligned them with about 140 other countries which also back the Palestinians’ aspiration to forge an independent homeland from the Israeli-occupied territories.

“Today, to revive the hope of peace for the Palestinians and Israelis, and a two-state solution, the United Kingdom formally recognises the State of Palestine,” said PM Starmer.

Canada and Australia also recognised a Palestinian state today and other countries are expected to do so this week at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

In a statement, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced that his country now recognises the state of Palestine.

“Canada recognises the State of Palestine and offers our partnership in building the promise of a peaceful future for both the State of Palestine and the State of Israel,” said Carney.

Similarly, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his country was recognising Palestine as part of an effort to revive momentum for a two-state solution that starts with a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages held there.

In a move that put Starmer at odds with US President Donald Trump, Britain had issued Israel with an ultimatum in July saying it would recognise a Palestinian state unless Israel took steps to end the “appalling situation” in Gaza.

Husam Zomlot, head of the Palestinian Mission in London, called the decision a “long-overdue recognition” that “is not about Palestine, but about Britain’s fulfilment of a solemn responsibility”.

“It marks an irreversible step towards justice, peace, and the correction of historic wrongs,” he added in a statement.

Starmer had said in July that Britain would recognise a Palestinian state unless Israel reached a ceasefire with Hamas, let more aid into Gaza, made clear there would be no annexation of the West Bank, and committed to a peace process delivering a two-state solution.

“Since that announcement in July, in fact, with the attack on Qatar, a ceasefire at this point lays in tatters, and the prospects are bleak,” Lammy said, noting Israel had also moved forward with a settlement plan.

Starmer has been under pressure from many of his own lawmakers, angry at the rising death toll in Gaza and images of starving children.

Britin’s historic involvement

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this month there will never be a Palestinian state.

Londoners voiced mixed reactions.

“A whole lot needs to happen and peace needs to come to that region,” said 56-year-old charity director Michael Angus. “This is the first step in actually acknowledging that those people have a right to have somewhere to call home.”

Retiree Stephen, who declined to give his last name, said the government “probably means well” but argued the move was misguided: “They are sort of abandoning Israel… and with Hamas, (they) are almost sort of supporting them.”

Lammy previously said Britain has a historic responsibility to facilitate a two-state solution, dating back to the 1917 Balfour Declaration, which pledged that the creation of a Jewish state would not infringe on Arab rights.

“While a welcome step, Britain owes Palestine far more than recognition,” said Victor Kattan, public international law professor and adviser to the “Britain Owes Palestine” campaign, arguing for an apology and reparations for engineering violent divisions.

The decision may mean the Palestinian Mission in London is upgraded to embassy status. It could also result in banning products that come from Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.

‘Recognition brings independence closer’

Palestinian Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin said countries recognising a Palestinian state this week were taking an irreversible step that preserved the two-state solution and brought Palestinian independence and sovereignty closer.

“Now is the time. Tomorrow is a historic date we need to build on. It’s not the end,” Shahin told reporters in Ramallah.

“It is a move bringing us closer to sovereignty and independence. It might not end the war tomorrow, but it’s a move forward, which we need to build on and amplify,” she said, referring to Israel’s nearly two-year military campaign in Gaza.