How do we know he was a Groyper?

[Bluesaph]

I want to make sure before I make this point to people.

[Callie1979]

1. Don't even know what that is.

[Cattledog]

3. Nick Fuentes & Pepe the frog people

https://www.adl.org/resources/backgrounder/groyper-army-and-america-first

[Callie1979]

13. Guess we could call them "gropers" too! Probably be accurate for many

[Cattledog]

2. If you are brave go on 4chan.

[Nimble_Idea]

36. o boi

[Scrivener7]

4. I don't think we do know. Don Lemon said it without offering proof. Though I don't

doubt that it could be true, Don Lemon has been known to say things and then walk them back.

[leftstreet]

5. I believe it's just a theory. Don't trust it

until confirmed...

Wouldn't be surprised if the Kirk aligned GOPers are actually actively floating the theory, making the hard alt right the culprits (much like their playbook of accusing leftists, liberals, etc)

They clearly fear they have a too-hard-right nutz problem

[BlueTsunami2018]

12. Kirk and Fuentes are/were both Nazis.

I guess Fuentes just openly calls himself a Nazi but there’s no real difference in ideology.

Maybe they know the nuances of it. I don’t see it.

[Justice matters.]

37. I read that the groypers hated kirk because he was not anti-Israel and

they accused him of being a globalist.

Remember Charlottesville? It's those ultrafascist alt-right incels.

[jeffreyi]

56. Well they do make the maga types look rather mainstream by comparison.

Amazing as that may seem.

[Bluesaph]

6. We won't know!

If he is that will be swiftly swept under the rug because it doesn’t fit the narrative which is now out there that he was somehow radicalized by the left.

[Skittles]

7. I had to look it up

The Groypers, sometimes called the Groyper Army, are a group of alt-right, white nationalist, and Christian nationalist activists led by Nick Fuentes. Members of the group have attempted to introduce alt-right politics into mainstream conservatism in the United States and participated in the January 6 United States Capitol attack and the protests leading up to it

[Bluesaph]

8. Thanks but the question remains...

Where is the proof that Robinson was one of these Nick Fuentes fanatics?

[Skittles]

9. that I would not know

obviously the guy is either radicalized or just plain nuts (which arguably could be considered the same thing)

[uponit7771]

29. The bullet casing had groyper phrases on them each

[Feel Good Inc]

34. None of the phrases are groyper phrases.

They're associated with gaming and online memes - not specific to groyper. The casing from the bullet that actually took out Kirk had 'Notices Bulge, OwO What's This' on it. That is a meme that goes back to 2013 when Nick Fuentes would have been 15 years old and long before groypers existed.

https://trending.knowyourmeme.com/editorials/guides/what-is-the-notices-bulge-owo-whats-this-meme-the-phrase-inscribed-on-the-casing-of-the-bullet-fired-at-charlie-kirk-explained

To me, this sounds like a terminally online edgelords which can align with being a groyper but it's like that test question, right?

All groypers are online edgelords but not all online edgelords are groypers.

[B.See]

26. I didn't know what that was either. But

imo translates as "all peas from the same hate fueled POD."

[Feel Good Inc]

10. There's no evidence of any ideological affiliation.

Beyond the anti-fascist stuff but even that appears to be from a video game - and maybe a Halloween? costume he wore back in 2018 when he was 15 as pepe the frog in a track suit. But he was going as the meme according to the friend's caption who uploaded the photo - and well not sure that's enough evidence to say, especially since it was seven years ago.

Other than that, there is little known about his views.

[Skittles]

15. you seem very vested in him not being a repuke

why is that?

[Feel Good Inc]

17. Same reason everyone else was vested in proving he wasn't a leftist: I want the truth.

I think it's dangerous to get into this tit-for-tat where the truth doesn't matter and we can all just make up claims without a shred of evidence. It's also fascinating to watch this place get so outraged just 24 hours ago when everyone was saying it was "for sure a leftist!" to now so easily pushing narratives that no one can seem to back up with any level of evidence.

This level of misinformation from all sides is harmful and does no one any good at lowering the heated temperature in this country. No one seems to be approaching this situation in good faith and yes, I find it disgusting. I found it disgusting when yesterday it was the right and I'm not particularly fond of it right now when people on the left are pushing claims without fact.

Why is it so hard to just report the facts? What we know and what we don't know? I don't understand why this has to be a game for so many people. And that's how a lot of people are treating it: as a moment to reinforce their own biases.

I am not vested in him being a conservative or a liberal or whatever. I'm vested in finding out exactly what happened and why because if we're just gonna yell, "he's a leftist! No, he's MAGA!" and neither are true, then how can we even begin to understand what drove a 22 year old man, who came from well-respected middle-class family to throw it all away by taking the life of another. If it was political, then let's hear what politics drove him to that. But don't just make things up because you want it to be so.

Because that tells me you're not really interested in understanding why - just casting blame.

And sadly, I expect more from the left because we've seen for years now that this is exactly how Republicans and conservatives operate: they don't care about the reasoning or about an explanation, they just want to blame it on the left, minorities, gays, trans people ... whatever.

Well I'm not gonna fall into the same hole they always operate out of. I'm interested in knowing his true motives and hell, maybe we never find out truly why he did it, but I'm not going to shut down the potential of finding out by just yelling into the void that he must be a conservative or a liberal or whatever when there's little evidence at this time to suggest that's the case.

Hope that helps you understand the place I am coming from. Have a good night.

[Skittles]

18. yeah uh huh OK

[Feel Good Inc]

19. Have a nice Friday night.

[Skittles]

20. here ya go

https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:iuy7wrhz3g3j7yflmmoe5dix/post/3lyod2kriy22x

sucks, doesn't it?

good night!

[Bluesaph]

21. You nailed it! I'm not gonna spread something without proof

I want the people I debate with on line to know I argue in good faith.

Kirk was a propagandist.

I want to know about Robinson. What made him do this?

[Feel Good Inc]

25. Thanks!

I see no reason to stoop to the politics of the right by throwing around things that aren't fact yet. it does not help us get to the actual question: why he did it. And if we truly cared about the why instead of just lobbing blame, we'd seek out the honest truth ... even if it makes us uncomfortable.

That's why I could never be a conservative because they don't care about facts - they only care about casting blame and playing to emotions. And that mindset is so toxic. Ironically, Charlie Kirk was right in the middle of doing it when he was shot: focused on grouping all trans people with a very small group who've committed crimes. Kirk and the right have never been interested in having a real discussion on these crimes - or mass-shootings because they know the truth is not kind to their ideology. They never ask why most mass-shootings are done by white men and instead focus on other crimes or a very small minority to scapegoat.

I won't do that. I'll always seek out truth because that's the only way we can really ever understand the motives of people like this man and the Colorado shooter, who was radicalized by the far-right and white supremacy.

[rzemanfl]

30. There is evidence if you look for it. Mineral Man's post

would be a good place to start. If you don't think it would mess with feeling good or other corporate purposes.

[Feel Good Inc]

33. This post?

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=20634209

I see zero evidence related to the shooter.

I don't understand why we can't just report the actual facts instead of spreading misinformation.

All we know about this man is that he was raised in a conservative Republican house - that his parents, and grandparents were MAGA and they were very religious (I had read LDS but now I'm not sure if he was LDS). The NY Post claims he's LDS but not many other outlets are saying that. They are saying he was turned in by his pastor or had a link to his pastor in some capacity (maybe his father took him to see the pastor and confess...who knows?). But pastor is not a LDS position. That doesn't mean he's not LDS, as frequently they'll make the religious positions more generic as to not confuse non-LDS members (I remember in 2012, Mitt Romney mentioning his pastor or another generic term which was weird because they're bishops in the LDS Church). But even that we don't seem to know!

But it's a hodgepodge of inconsistent information.

This from people who knew him:

People who knew Robinson described differing memories of his political leanings. An electrician who worked with Robinson on a job just a few weeks ago – and asked not to be named, like others who spoke about Robinson, due to the sensitivity of the situation – described his colleague as a shy presence who “wasn’t talkative unless he was spoken to.”

Robinson “didn’t really talk political… unless someone brought it up,” the electrician said, adding that “he wasn’t too fond of Trump or Charlie (Kirk).”

But several years ago in high school, Robinson – like his family – was politically conservative, and supported President Donald Trump ahead of the 2020 election, one of Robinson’s former classmates told CNN.

“When I knew him and his family, they were like diehard Trump,” said the former classmate. “When this happened, I was like… I don’t know what changed.”

Voter registration records show that Robinson is currently registered to vote unaffiliated with any party, although he never cast a ballot, the Washington County clerk said in a statement.

Who knows if the comments about not being fond of Trump and Kirk are true. But that doesn't mean he's a leftist.

And his supporting Trump in 2020 doesn't mean much today right because that was five years ago and it's not uncommon that kids hold the same views as their parents and siblings.

Did he outgrow those views?

Did he become more conservative? Nationalistic? Did he become a groyper or did he just become more and more apolitical?

I don't know. You don't know. We don't know.

At least yet.

So, I don't think it does anyone any good to speculate. And I'm pretty sure this was the common agreement among everyone here last night when the right-wing was going nuts blaming leftists and trans people without even knowing who the shooter was.

Let's wait until there's more information before determining this because right now, it feels like a lot of people are just interested in casting blame and not actually understanding why a 22 year old decided to throw away his life by killing Charlie Kirk.

[Bluesaph]

41. I did learn some new things last night

Charlie Kirk was coming in disfavor with Netanyahu and rejected an influx of $$ to his foundation from Israel. He was beginning to speak out against the genocide. And he had mentioned to people he feared Israel.

Robinson may be a patsy. For one thing, do the videos show him carrying a rifle off the building? If not then how did that rifle get planted where it was found?

[The Revolution]

55. He was a patsy that just happened to

Be on the roof? The video of the person jumping off the roof shows them carrying something, though it is hard to tell exactly what.

[Iggo]

11. I was today years old when I first heard the word "groyper."

[Callie1979]

14. Same here. Ya never know!

[rzemanfl]

32. Me too, 78 years, one month and eight days. Not sure

I know how to spell it.

[choie]

35. Ditto

[Skittles]

16. the fact that Nick Fuentes is disavowing him is something

yes indeed

[Bluesaph]

22. Link?

That is something unless he’s just trying to throw us off.

[Skittles]

24. ....

there are several, here is one

https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/us-news/tyler-robinson-nick-fuentes-row-activist-responds-to-new-claims-on-charlie-kirk-shooter-101757714315330.html

[ecstatic]

23. AI confirmed. Somehow AI knows about all the weird little nooks and crevices out there.

?si=ekb5vXce0q8HHVoh

[Lookingforthetruth]

27. This Guardian Reporter...

This reporter from the Guardian said a friend of his claimed “he was the only leftist in his family of hard republicans”.

Article here:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/12/suspect-charlie-kirk-shooting

[RockRaven]

31. That friend also said they drifted apart in high school and lost touch in 2021.

That four years is a long time in the life of a 22 year old.

[Quixote1818]

59. They have retracted that. See here

The Guardian updated an early report on Tyler Robinson, the suspect in Charlie Kirk's murder, removing quotes from a source who described Robinson as "leftist" after the source stated they could not accurately recall details of their relationship. The original article, published September 12, 2025, included an anonymous source claiming Robinson was "pretty left on everything" in high school. For more information, visit The Guardian.

[RockRaven]

28. We don't KNOW know. One of the problems with the terminally online,

whether they be Groypers or accelerationists or leftists or doomers or none of the above, is that terminally online people use stuff both ironically and unironically, both online and irl. One picture or post isn't enough to know. A thorough examination of his online history would do it, but who has access to that now? The best raw info is in the hands of the least reliable sources (Repug controlled law enforcement).

[Justice matters.]

38. The markings on the bullets.

He got radicalized by the groypers online.

He did it to eliminate an enemy within the maga crackpots.

Charlottesville tiki march... those incels online.

[John1956PA]

39. Young people use voice chat when accessing video game sites.

Following the July 13, 2025, event, investigators looked for typed messages sent by Thomas Crooks on online video game sites. He is said to have not left such a trail, since his communications in the games were done via spoken chat. The gaming sites do not record the voice chats of participants in the games.

[herding cats]

45. Right? You wear a headset and just talk.

The ancient days of text based chat are long gone.

[H2O Man]

40. You know that

you don't know. That's all you need to know to opt not to tell others that he was one.

[sarisataka]

43. Keep looking for the truth

Was this really how you wanted to burn a mole?

[edbermac]

44. Truth has made four posts in 21 years

Sent him a DU mail and told him he wasn’t fooling anyone

[sarisataka]

46. 3 of them in the last two days

all promoting the same "shooter was a leftist" insinuation
That's a long time to have a mole account then to blow it up so easily

[haele]

47. Partially his social media and the particular online gaming community he was part of

A lot of the terms he was using the past couple years were Groyper. He also apparently trashed Kirk a lot.
This whole situation is a dead-ender purity pissing contest. The "Conservatives" think they have it in the bag (which they might, it's pretty much on a knife edge right now due to the Supreme Court and greedy political cowards). So now, they begin the purges and pogroms.

That's why I have always hate the Democratic party purity posturing that's gone on since the 60's. Yes, it was a reaction to LBJ and Vietnam, but it's morphed into a selfish, simplistic, immature worldview that doesn't care about Democracy.

[Yorkie Mom]

48. We do not know this. It's speculation.

[Mosby]

49. People might want to take a look at the NY post.

They are a tabloid, so who knows.

[Shrek]

54. Other sources on Twitter reporting it as well n/t

[Mosby]

57. That's where I saw it.

And tracked down the source. We should all be more patient, he is, after all, still alive. Probably going to say something at some point.

[pat_k]

51. I'm keeping an eye on what more Elle Reeve has to say as more solid info emerges.

From her observation and the info in the vanity fair article, I'm not jumping to any conclusions.

Link to tweet

Vanity Fair: Groypers, Helldivers 2, Furries...
Groypers, Helldivers 2, Furries: What do the Messages Left by Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Killer Actually Mean?
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/charlie-kirk-tyler-robinson-memes-meaning

No paywall:
https://archive.ph/L8tPp

AI Summary of Reeve

Elle Reeve's expertise lies in investigative journalism, particularly focusing on social issues, politics, and the connection between social media and white nationalism, as evidenced by her work on the documentary Right Now, her reporting on the 2017 Charlottesville rally and the January 6th Capitol attack, and her role as a correspondent for CNN. Her background includes working at prestigious publications like The New Republic and The Wire before joining Vice News and subsequently CNN, and she is also the author of the book Black Pill.

Key areas of expertise:

Right-wing extremism and white nationalism
Reeve is known for her in-depth coverage of these movements, including her work at the 2017 Charlottesville "Unite the Right" rally and the January 6th Capitol attack.

Social media's impact on extremism
Her expertise includes understanding how online platforms contribute to the rise of radical movements.

Documentary filmmaking
She produced the documentary Right Now, which explores the rise of the American alt-right.

Investigative reporting
Her career includes roles as a senior editor at The New Republic and politics editor at The Wire, highlighting her investigative journalism skills.

[Norrrm]

52. In big news cases, there is so much (dis)information flowing that it often takes 2 o 3 days to verify any semblance of f

In big news cases, there is so much (dis)information flowing that it often takes 2 o 3 days to verify any semblance of fact or fiction.

[JCMach1]

53. It was online stochastic RW terrorism

There is no membership of being a groyper, it's just another online rabbit hole... probably found after jumping in numerous others. Add in all the other factors and it adds up.

Stochastic terror rarely is a 1:1 thing. It is rarely neat. There is a whole spectrum of media and information they consume before they reach the point of action.

Before things even came out, I was close to 100% certain it was stochastic terrorism, either groyper rw adjacent, or perhaps on the left a Zizzian related/adjacent act.