Was Tyler Robinson a member of the far-right “groypers” who hated Charlie Kirk? Here’s all the evidence that’s currently fit to publish.

In the aftermath of the fatal shooting of Charlie Kirk, speculation has flown in every direction.

Some voices have rushed to brand the alleged gunman, Tyler Robinson, as a “left-wing extremist”.

Others suggest he may instead have been influenced by the far-right “Groyper” movement — followers of Nick Fuentes, who famously clashed with Kirk during the so-called “Groyper Wars” of 2019–20.

So what evidence actually exists, and what does it tell us?

The engravings on the bullet casings

Court documents and media reports confirm that Robinson had engraved messages on bullet casings recovered from the scene. These included:

• “Hey fascist! Catch!” followed by a sequence of arrow symbols linked to the video game Helldivers 2.¹

• “O Bella ciao, Bella ciao, Bella ciao, ciao, ciao!” — lyrics from a partisan anti-fascist anthem, later popularised by Money Heist and widely reused in meme culture.²

• “If you read this, you are gay LMAO.”³

• “Notices, bulges OwO what’s this?” — a phrase from “furry” subculture and meme communities.³

These inscriptions are real, verified by multiple outlets. What they mean is far less clear. They point more to meme culture and irony than to any coherent political programme.

Messages to friends

According to a probable-cause affidavit, Robinson’s roommate presented investigators with online messages in which Robinson allegedly talked about:

• Leaving a rifle hidden in a bush and retrieving it.⁴

• Wrapping the rifle in a towel.⁴

• Engraving inscriptions on bullets.⁵

These messages have been reported by several outlets, but they are not uncontested.

Discord, the messaging platform, has since suggested that some of the alleged exchanges may not have originated from Robinson’s account, raising questions about their authenticity.⁴

Robinson’s political views

Robinson’s own family told investigators that he had become “more political in recent years” and expressed dislike of Charlie Kirk during a family dinner prior to the shooting.⁶

A note, reportedly written by Robinson and later destroyed, allegedly described his intent to target Kirk.⁷

This is strong evidence that he opposed Kirk personally.

But whether this was ideological, or a more individual grievance, remains unresolved.

Who are the Groypers, and what is their beef with Charlie Kirk?

Nick Fuentes is a far-right commentator whose followers, the “Groypers,” are known for heckling conservative events in order to push them further right. Their most famous clashes with Charlie Kirk and his Turning Point USA organisation between 2019 and 2020 are now known as the “Groyper Wars.”⁸

At the time, Groypers accused Kirk of being too moderate, questioned him on immigration and Israel, and labelled him a “fascist” and even an “undercover liberal.” This tactic of flipping the “fascist” accusation onto liberals is common in far-right rhetoric.⁹

Some Groypers even circulated a “Groyper Wars” Spotify playlist, which included the song Bella Ciao.⁸ That may explain why some are now linking Robinson’s casing inscription to Groyper culture.

What is not confirmed

Here are the claims that have not been proven in court or law enforcement filings:

• There is no confirmed evidence that Robinson was a member of the Groypers or had any direct contact with Nick Fuentes.¹⁰

• While some Groyper-linked memes and playlists featured Bella Ciao, Robinson’s choice to engrave it could just as easily come from anti-fascist, ironic, or pop culture sources. The meaning is ambiguous.^{2 8}

• Reports of Robinson’s Discord messages exist, but their authenticity has been challenged by the platform itself.⁴

What are we to think?

The available evidence shows that Tyler Robinson opposed Charlie Kirk and engraved slogans on bullet casings that drew from meme culture, gaming, furry subculture, and one anti-fascist anthem.

While some of these overlap with imagery that has circulated in Groyper circles, there is no proof that Robinson was part of Fuentes’s far-right movement.

It now seems clear that the Left had nothing to do with this attack, but nor is there yet any hard evidence tying Robinson to the Groypers.

Until investigators release more, the safe conclusion is that his motivations remain muddy — a mixture of personal hostility, irony, and internet subculture.

The warning is simple: don’t jump to conclusions that aren’t supported by facts.

Footnotes

1. Sky News – “Bullet casings engraved with slogans” ↩

2. Vanity Fair – “Bella Ciao inscription and its ambiguity” ↩ ↩²

3. People – “Engravings on bullet casings” ↩ ↩²

4. Washington Post – “Affidavit details, Discord messages questioned” ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

5. People – “Affidavit mentions bullet engraving” ↩

6. Associated Press – “Family testimony about Robinson’s views” ↩

7. Guardian – “Destroyed note about Kirk” ↩

8. Vanity Fair – “Background on Groypers and the Groyper Wars” ↩ ↩² ↩³

9. X.com – “Popular Right-Wing Figures Who Have Referred to Democrats as ‘Fascists'” ↩

10. Reuters – “Summary of affidavit, no link to Groypers confirmed” ↩