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What's The 'Bella Ciao' Song, And Did Charlie Kirk's Shooter Have It On His Bullet Casings? The Song's Link To Antifa And The 'Groyper War' Explained
Charlie Kirk's alleged shooter, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, reportedly engraved several phrases onto his bullet casings, including the words "O Bella Ciao, Bella Ciao."
The inscription references the Italian folk song "Bella Ciao," often linked with antifascist resistance. The song rose to global recognition in the 1960s and went viral again in 2020 with the hit Netflix show Money Heist.
So, what exactly is "Bella Ciao," and why would it show up on a bullet casing tied to a political shooting? Here's what you need to know.
What's The 'Bella Ciao' Song, And How Is It Used In Pop Culture?
"Bella Ciao" is an Italian protest song with a complicated history. Although it's often described as an anthem of the partisan resistance against Benito Mussolini's National Fascist Party and Nazist German troops in the 1940s, music historians have noted the evidence doesn't back that up.
The first printed versions date to the 1950s, with the song seeing its true breakout moment coming in the 1960s, with Giovanna Daffini recording it in 1962, the Nuovo Canzoniere Italiano performing it at the Spoleto Festival in 1964, and Yves Montand pushing it beyond Italy that same year.
The song became a global protest hymn and resurfaced whenever people wanted to protest tyranny or fascism and signal defiance. A 2009 YouTube upload translated the song to Persian as part of pro-democracy protests in Iran.
A decade later, the song made repeat appearances in the Spanish Netflix show Money Heist, as seen in this scene from the first season, where a group of bank robbers (the protagonists) sing the song in celebration of tunneling into a vault.
In January 2025, German protestors notably sang "Bella Ciao" to oppose the rise of the far-right party AfD, as seen in a TikTok video by user @dasistwuerzburg that gathered over 4 million views since.
@dasistwuerzburg Bella Ciao… Würzburg vs. AfD
What Was Written On The Bullet Casing Fired By Tyler Robinson?
On September 12th, 2025, FBI officials held a press conference identifying Tyler Robinson as the alleged shooter of conservative activist Charlie Kirk two days prior.
During the briefing, investigators described the engravings found on several bullet casings linked to Robinson's rifle. Alongside references to internet memes and video games, one casing carried the words "O Bella Ciao, Bella Ciao," a direct nod to the Italian protest song.
The discovery fueled early speculation online that the shooter may have been motivated by left-wing or "anti-fascist" ideology, with some commentators framing the engraving as a kind of political calling card.
But that interpretation quickly met resistance from others as a viral debate surrounding Robinson's supposed political leaning spread online.
Amid the debate, several internet users argued that the "Bella Ciao" inscription did not automatically suggest a leftist connection, instead suggesting that Robinson may have had ties to the far-right. Central to that pushback was the "Groyper War," a harassment campaign launched by far-right commentator Nick Fuentes and his followers against Kirk himself.
On the same day as the press conference, X / Twitter user @mike_from_pa posted a screenshot of a Spotify playlist titled "Groyper War (America First)" that included a remix of "Bella Ciao." The post argued that despite the song's antifascist origins, it had been co-opted in fringe far-right spaces.
Another phrase inscribed on the bullet casings was reportedly, "Hey fascist! Catch!" alongside the directions for dropping an Eagle 500kg bomb in the video game Helldivers 2. Other phrases included, "If you read this you are gay lmao" and the meme "Notices Bulges 'OwO What's This?'"
For the full history of O Bella Ciao, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.
