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The assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has triggered a disturbing yet predictable trend within crypto markets: the rapid creation of speculative tokens capitalizing on the tragedy.
Within hours of the September 10 shooting at Utah Valley University (UVU), anonymous developers launched multiple coins bearing Kirk’s name, with one pulling in nearly $300,000.
A Tragedy Becomes a Trading Frenzy
According to reports, Kirk, 31, was killed by a single shot while addressing a crowd of 3,000 in the quad, an outdoor bowl courtyard at UVU. Authorities have confirmed that a manhunt is underway, with tributes from leaders across the American political divide pouring in. Former President Barack Obama condemned the act of violence, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. described Kirk as “a crusader for free speech.”
But while the political world mourned, blockchain developers raced to capitalize. X user Cano revealed that a creator on Solana made $299,426 in revenues by launching a CHARLIE coin shortly after the shooting.
Furthermore, data from DexScreener confirmed the frenzy, revealing at least five separate tokens with names like Charlie Cartman (Charlie), RIP CHARLIE KIRK (CHARLIE), and Justice For Charlie (KIRK) created in the 13 hours following the incident. The data shows Charlie Cartman surged to a $74.9 million market cap within four hours of trading, fueled by over 23,000 transactions and $2.4 million in volume.
The other tokens followed. Justice for Charlie reached a $12.4 million market cap with more than 114,000 trades in 13 hours, while “RIP CHARLIE KIRK logged $28.1 million in trading volume despite rapid pullbacks.
A separate KIRK coin saw wild swings, plunging 85% over six hours before rebounding 2,260% in 24 hours. These sharp reversals mirror earlier speculative manias, such as the July launches of OZZY and HULK coins following the deaths of Ozzy Osbourne and Hulk Hogan, which quickly collapsed after initial spikes.
Price Volatility Highlights Ethical and Market Risks
While some traders framed the Charlie tokens as digital tributes, others criticized the trend as profiteering from tragedy. A pseudonymous crypto enthusiast going by the handle “Green” on X, noted that investors were even selling other meme coins to pile into “Justice for Charlie,” suggesting short-term speculation outweighed genuine commemoration.
The frenzy also highlights a recurring pattern where speculative tokens tied to shocking events rarely sustain value. For example, the Justice for Iryna (IRYNA) token, created after the stabbing of Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska in Charlotte on August 22, briefly spiked to $0.25 before collapsing to $0.000055 by September 11 per CoinGecko, wiping out nearly all gains.
Fundamentally, these assets lack utility, and their trajectories often follow the “pump and dump” cycles seen in celebrity-death coins. While Kirk’s assassination may intensify political discourse in the U.S., in crypto markets, it has become another example of how quickly tragedy can be commodified, leaving retail traders holding the risk.
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