 "Officials said Robinson held a strong dislike for Kirk and had spoken about his hatred to people close to him. Reuters")
Tyler Robinson, who is accused of assassinating Charlie Kirk, reportedly has a ‘furry fixation’.
He allegedly had an account on a website that shared unusual sexual content.
Notably, Robinson allegedly fired a rifle from the top of a building at another university campus, killing conservative influencer Charlie Kirk while he was speaking at Utah Valley University last week.
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Authorities have said Robinson held a strong dislike for Kirk and followed a “leftist ideology” that had developed over the past few years.
But what is this ‘furry subculture’? And why is it being connected to Robinson?
Let’s take a look:
What is ‘furry subculture’?
The furry subculture is a community built around anthropomorphic animal characters, called “fursonas”. These characters mix human and animal features, allowing people to express themselves in ways they choose.
Fursonas can be inspired by animals like wolves, foxes, dogs, cats and even dragons. Members often connect through online spaces such as Fur Affinity, WikiFur, social media, and fan conventions.
This subculture is described as being centred on creativity, identity and community, and not based on sexual content. Not all people in the furry community include sexual aspects in what they do.
It is also different from being a therian, who believes they are an animal in spirit. Furries, on the other hand, roleplay as human-like animal characters.
Jamie Cohen, an Associate Professor of media studies at Queens College, told The New York Post that the ‘Notices bulge’ meme shows two men with computers in front of them, one wearing cat ears, sitting across from each other.
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More ShortsThe meme can be seen as a form of catfishing, where people pretend to be someone they are not.
Meanwhile, “OWO” is an emoticon showing a cute animal-like face with wide eyes and a small nose.
As quoted, digital culture researcher Alex Turvy said that it can be a copypasta, which is a block of text copied and shared across the internet.
“More than anything, it sort of demonstrates that you speak the language of the Internet,” the digital expert said. “It’s sort of an inside joke, and referencing it is a marker of who you are. That you spend a lot of time online.”
Tyler Robinson’s ‘furry fixation’
The words engraved on the bullet casing that killed Charlie Kirk are said to be linked to trolling and “furry” subcultures.
According to an arrest affidavit against suspected assassin Tyler Robinson, the casing had the phrase, “Notices Buldge OWO what’s this?” on it, reported The New York Post.
Friends told Daily Mail that an account on FurAffinity.net carried a name similar to one Robinson had used for his gaming and online profiles. The website hosts sexualised drawings of cartoon animal characters.
They reflect someone “who’s very at home on the Internet, who has a community there and demonstrates that they are in and get it,” he said.
Jamie Cohen, a professor at Queens College, warned that the messages might not carry any deeper meaning, or, “They could mean everything.”
Robinson was arrested late on Thursday and remains in custody. His first court hearing is expected next week.
Officials said Robinson held a strong dislike for Kirk and had spoken about his hatred to people close to him.
His arrest followed a 33-hour manhunt that began after Kirk’s killing. Two others were detained during the search on Wednesday but were later released.
Robinson is being held at Utah County Jail in Spanish Fork, about 12 miles (19 km) from the university where Kirk was shot.
Charlie Kirk was a right-wing activist and an ally of Donald Trump. He was seen as one of the leading conservative voices in the country.
He was known for helping build Trump’s support among young voters, encouraging conservative youth, and gaining international attention through an organisation he launched at the age of 18.