The University of Minnesota chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) announced it will host a campus event next week to counter Charlie Kirk’s Remembrance Day, instead celebrating George Floyd.
Last month, the Senate passed a resolution declaring October 14, 2025, Charlie Kirk’s birthday, as a National Day of Remembrance. In response, the SDS chapter at the university said it plans to “celebrate George Floyd instead.” Flyers promoting the event have appeared around campus under the headline “The Real Legacy of Charlie Kirk,” with the tagline “Rally Against White Supremacy.”
“The federal government decided to celebrate Charlie Kirk Remembrance Day on George Floyd’s birthday (Oct. 14th),” the group posted on social media. “Instead of celebrating a white supremacist bigot, join us for a rally celebrating what would have been George Floyd’s 51st Birthday and continuing to tell UMN admin white supremacy is not allowed on campus.”
SDS has a history of counter-protesting TPUSA events. In July, members demonstrated outside TPUSA’s Student Action Summit in Tampa Bay, Florida. Earlier in January, an SDS-linked protest at a TPUSA event at the University of Washington turned destructive after demonstrators banged on windows, shattering one when a speaker was set to criticize transgender-identifying males competing in women’s sports.
A University of Minnesota spokesperson told Fox News that SDS “is not affiliated with the University nor is this an official university event.”
“As a public institution, the University is an open and public place that provides reasonable access to spaces on campus that are open to the public, subject to reasonable time, place and manner restrictions. This includes campus outdoor sidewalks and green spaces. The Guidelines for Demonstrations and Protests at this page has more specifics on our policies,” the spokesperson said.
