E-Paper
What is a Groyper? Speculations about Tyler Robinson's alleged alt-right ties surface
Tyler Robinson, accused of killing Charlie Kirk, is being linked to Groypers in online speculations.
After the shooting that killed Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University, questions have surfaced about whether 22-year-old suspect Tyler Robinson had ties to the alt-right or Groyper movement. Robinson is under arrest, and speculation about him has spread online.
Robinson, a Utah resident, was arrested Friday in connection with Kirk’s killing. State records reviewed by Reuters show he had no criminal history. He is now charged with aggravated murder. Family members said Robinson had grown more political in recent years and had voiced criticism of Kirk before the incident.
Why are groypers being mentioned?
Questions about Robinson’s ties to Groypers surfaced online after photos of him spread. In one, he wore a black Adidas tracksuit while crouching. Users compared it to a meme of Pepe the Frog in the same pose, a symbol often used in Groyper circles.
The pose, sometimes called the “Slav squat,” started on 4chan and has been used by far-right and ironic internet groups. Some claimed this showed Robinson’s link to Nick Fuentes’s Groyper Army, a group known for clashing with Kirk and other conservatives.
Groypers are followers of Fuentes, who is associated with white nationalist and Christian nationalist movements. Their symbol is a cartoon frog based on Pepe. Members have been tied to the January 6 Capitol riot and online campaigns against conservatives they view as not nationalist enough.
No proof Robinson was a groyper
Officials have not confirmed Robinson had ties to Groypers or the alt-right. Police reported that bullet casings at the scene carried anti-fascist slogans. Public records list him as an inactive voter with no party, and he did not vote in the last presidential election between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris.
Investigators also found strange markings on Robinson’s rifle ammunition. The symbols matched button commands from the video game Helldivers 2. The sequence linked to one of the game’s most destructive weapons, the Eagle 500kg Bomb.
Helldivers 2 won two Bafta awards earlier this year and is set in a world inspired by Starship Troopers. The game mixes combat with political slogans like “Freedom,” “Peace,” and “Democracy.”
Authorities are reviewing whether the markings suggest cultural or symbolic influence, but no conclusions have been made.
