{"id":4669,"date":"2026-07-16T13:06:48","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T13:06:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4669"},"modified":"2026-07-16T13:06:48","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T13:06:48","slug":"charlie-kirk-sculptor-claims-online-harassment-over-times-square-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4669","title":{"rendered":"Charlie Kirk sculptor claims online harassment over Times Square plan"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<p>A sculptor who plans to display a statue of assassinated right-wing activist Charlie Kirk in Times Square this fall said he\u2019s being harassed online for his attempt to memorialize the free speech he feels Kirk stood for.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4667\">Redwood City man sentenced to 20 years for sexually abusing three children<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Italian sculptor and longtime New Yorker Sergio Furnari has been sharing progress reports of his work on social media, seeking funding and demonstrating his work. He plans to erect the statue on Sept. 10, a year to the day after Kirk was fatally shot at age 31 while speaking to Utah Valley University students at an outdoor gathering in Salt Lake City.<\/p>\n<p>Furnari has Kirk sitting and holding a microphone, not unlike what he was doing when a gunman\u2019s bullet struck him in the neck. Kirk was the CEO and co-founder of Turning Point USA, a conservative youth organization, and was known for his incendiary remarks.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn\u2019t agree with everything Charlie Kirk had to say or the way he thought,\u201d Furnari said in one of several Instagram videos of himself putting final touches on the statue. \u201cBut one thing I believe in is freedom of speech and the right to exercise freedom of speech. So you have the right to talk, to think, but you don\u2019t have the right to be satanic or evil. That\u2019s for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Furnari said he has sold his apartment to fund the project and is seeking more support via an online funding drive that has reaped about $1,500 of his requested $150,000. While most comments on his social media posts are encouraging and complimentary, some of the negative comments read like borderline threats, he told TMZ.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI really want to come to NYC just to burn and p\u2014 on that s\u2014 Charlie Kirk statue\u201d is one thing, Furnari told the outlet. But then there\u2019s \u201cif you left this earth no one would notice,\u201d \u201cI\u2019m going to run this right over once you\u2019re done,\u201d and \u201cWhen it\u2019s in Times Square, someone will find a way to send its head back to you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4666\">Oakland man sentenced to nearly seven years for carjacking, evading police<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Most of the shade seems aimed at the idea of putting a statue of Kirk anywhere in New York City, let alone Times Square.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGreat new public urinal. Can\u2019t wait to use it!\u201d said one, and another, \u201cThis sculpture isn\u2019t even gonna last a full week in nyc LMAOOOOO,\u201d punctuated with a skull emoji.<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>A heart-emoji-filled declaration that \u201cNYC loves Charlie\u201d got the reply, \u201cWE DON\u2019T. We believe in equal rights, inclusion, tolerance, diversity, and love for our neighbors no matter who they look like, pray to, or love. This statue won\u2019t last 24 hours in NYC.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It would not be the first time Furnari has been thwarted in trying to pay public tribute with his art. In October 2021 a giant heart statue he erected in Central Park to pandemic health care workers was taken down by the city because he didn\u2019t have a permit.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=4665\">49ers\u2019 QB room with Purdy, Jones is Shanahan\u2019s best to date<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>With News Wire Services<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A sculptor who plans to display a statue of assassinated right-wing activist Charlie Kirk in Times Square this fall said he\u2019s being harassed online for his attempt to memorialize the free speech he feels Kirk stood for.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4668,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4669","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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