Huntington Beach City Councilman Butch Twining denounced hate groups during a statement at Tuesday night’s meeting of the council, six days after he was seen at a vigil for the late Charlie Kirk that turned dark with a group chanting “White man fight back.”
That gathering, which took place the same day that the conservative activist and founder of Turning Point USA was assassinated in Utah, was the first of several that have taken place at Pier Plaza over the last week.
Twining, shown on a video that went viral, said Tuesday night that he and his wife left after the vigil, organized by a local Republican group, turned violent when “self-described white supremacists” intruded, he said.
“Their presence was not an act of solidarity, but a calculated attempt to weaponize the event for extremist purposes,” Twining said. “As soon as their motives became clear, I immediately left, because this is not what I came for, nor what the vigil represented.”
Some had called for his resignation when the video surfaced, including Ocean View School District Trustee Gina Clayton-Tarvin. During his comments, Twining referenced her critiques and also referred to Mark Bixby, the owner of the online publication Surf City Sentinel, who posted the now-viral video.
“As a leader in this community, I will not allow my voice to be twisted for extremism,” Twining said, adding that he and his wife had been accosted after the video was made public.
Bixby declined to comment Tuesday night. Clayton-Tarvin issued on a statement on Wednesday, saying she was sworn to uphold the 1st Amendment as an elected official and wouldn’t be silenced when Twining threatened to sue her and others on a Sentinel post if they didn’t remove their statements.
“When one elected leader threatens another with a lawsuit simply for engaging in open criticism, it crosses a dangerous line,” she said. “Such actions chill free speech, erode public trust and undermine the democratic process we are all sworn to protect. I will not be silenced.”
At the onset, the council meeting featured each of the MAGA Huntington Beach council members making comments about the vigils and in support of Twining.
Sunday night vigil draws thousands
The biggest Huntington Beach vigil for Kirk was held at Pier Plaza on Sunday night. James Klug, a local conservative YouTube creator who works occasionally with Kirk’s Turning Point USA, organized that event.
Klug estimated that up to 4,000 people attended the vigil, adding that he saw no disturbances.
“The community really showed up for Charlie Kirk,” Klug said in an email to the Daily Pilot. “The vigil started around 6 p.m. and was packed with prayer, music, family time and speeches from some local community leaders and people who knew Charlie. I don’t think it could have been a better evening to honor Charlie and the work that he did for our country.”
Huntington Beach resident Heather Byrnes, who attended and took photographs at the vigil, called it a blessed event.
“[Kirk] was a Godly man,” Byrnes said. “He was serving his purpose. There’s been a lot of hate … but he didn’t hate anybody. He didn’t hate the trans community, he just doesn’t agree with that lifestyle, or homosexual, and that’s OK. He believes in the Bible and God. I don’t understand why things that have been around forever, now we’re getting yelled at for it.”
Huntington Beach Mayor Pat Burns said no arrests were made in association with the weekend’s vigils.
“The city reiterates its firm condemnation of dangerous political rhetoric and affirms its ongoing partnership with law enforcement to safeguard public safety,” Burns said in a statement Monday night. “We commend our residents and visitors for showing the spirit of Huntington Beach by coming together in a safe and civil manner while honoring the life of Mr. Kirk.”
In a previous statement the city released Sunday afternoon, Burns said Huntington Beach “unequivocally condemns all forms of violence and violent rhetoric, as well as the spread of false and inflammatory statements that undermine the safety of our community.”
Taryn Palumbo, who announced as a 2026 candidate for the Huntington Beach City Council on Monday and spoke at Tuesday night’s meeting, said in an interview that she felt that the mayor’s statements fell short.
“I would expect our city council to clearly call out the language that was being used and denounce it,” she said. “Unfortunately, the statement that was put out does not address the big issue, which was the presence of white nationalists in our community causing a scene.”
White nationalists returned Saturday
Sunday’s peaceful gathering was in contrast to the scene Saturday night, when Huntington Beach resident Jerry Geyer said he used his bike to try to stop white nationalists from walking down Main Street toward the pier.
Geyer said the group of men were each wearing white gaiters, many wearing blue or black shirts and khakis. At the rally at the pier, they were shown waving flags associated with Patriot Front, a known white nationalist and neo-fascist group.
“Our jaws were on the ground,” Geyer said. “We couldn’t believe what we were watching in person. It was straight out of 1930s Germany, what it looked like when they were chanting ‘White men fight back.’ We all know what that is, that’s white supremacy. There’s no sugar-coating that.”
Geyer said several of the men eventually came back up the street being chased by another man, before they started to jump on them.
Geyer said the question he is asking is simple — why are white supremacists coming to Huntington Beach? He called it the path of least resistance.
“No one is stopping them,” he said. “That’s the truth.”