The University of Iowa Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) chapter’s annual September 11 ‘Never Forget’ memorial was targeted Thursday by a student who threw a paper airplane at the display. One effort fell short, while another reached the memorial but caused no damage. The incident occurred on the 24th anniversary of the terrorist attacks, in which 2,977 people were killed at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and aboard United Flight 93.
At 6:00 a.m., members of the University of Iowa YAF chapter placed 2,977 flags in Hubbard Park to honor each life lost on September 11, 2001. Later in the day, a male student, who presents himself as a woman, sat near the memorial making paper airplanes. He attempted to throw one over the fence at the display, but it fell to the ground. The student then ran closer to the memorial and tried again before leaving the area.
The University of Iowa YAF executive board issued a statement, remarking, “This same disregard for human life and de-sensitivity to terror is exactly what leads to the innocent bloodshed from yesterday and the lives lost that we remember today,” in reference to Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk’s assassination on September 10.
Just one year earlier, Kirk had reflected on 9/11 in what would be his final post marking the anniversary, writing that the attacks had united America for a brief moment, but that much of that unity had since been squandered. He emphasized that “we will never forget the lives lost, the bravery of the first responders that day, or the America we are working every day to restore.”
YAF member Benjamin Pieper, who captured the student’s actions on video, said:
This morning after all the horrible events that recently occurred, I thought that it would be nice to help set up the 9/11 memorial sponsored by YAF. It’s sad to see people like this desecrate a memorial like this especially on 9/11. I pray for them.
This was not the first conflict between the same student and Iowa YAF. In October 2023, chapter members documented the individual washing away chalk promotions for a lecture featuring detransitioner Chloe Cole. The University of Iowa’s chalking policy, updated in May 2021, prohibits overwriting, erasing, or defacing chalk messages created by others. Violations can result in discipline under the Code of Student Life.
The 9/11: Never Forget Project has been active for over two decades. According to Young America’s Foundation, students nationwide have planted more than 14 million flags as part of the effort. This year’s anniversary was also marked at the national level. At a Pentagon ceremony, President Donald Trump commemorated the victims and reaffirmed, “As one nation, we renew our sacred vow that we will never forget September 11, 2001.”
The University of Iowa YAF chapter shared a montage of their memorial on Instagram. One Iowa City community member commented with two airplane emojis.
YAF has previously reported hostility toward its events at University of Iowa. In October 2024, a banner promoting a pro-Israel lecture was vandalized hours after being placed on campus. At the time, the group told Breitbart News that its chalk messages and posters were frequently erased or destroyed, and that members had faced calls for violence on social media.
Similar disruptions have occurred at other campuses. In 2021, a student government officer at Washington University in St. Louis was filmed removing 2,977 American flags from a YAF memorial, an act the university later condemned. YAF has observed that many students born after 9/11 are not taught to recognize the significance of the attacks.
The post Exclusive–UIOWA Repeat Offender Fails in Attempt to Mock YAF 9/11 Memorial with Paper Airplanes appeared first on Breitbart.
