Acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse, who killed two anti-racist activists, divides US

Following the acquittal on Friday of young American Kyle Rittenhouse, who killed two anti-racist activists in 2020 in Kenosha, reactions are mounting in the United States and revealing the country’s fractures over guns and the Black Lives Matter movement .

Young American Kyle Rittenhouse, who killed two people on the sidelines of anti-racism protests in 2020 in Kenosha, was acquitted on Friday (November 19) after a trial that revealed fractures of the United States on guns and the Black Lives Matter movement.

Twelve jurors in a Wisconsin state court declared him “not guilty” of all five charges against him, including murder, on the fourth day of their deliberations.

The 18-year-old white man, who faced life imprisonment, had pleaded self-defense. Upon reading the verdict, he broke down in tears before quickly leaving the courtroom. Outside, cries of joy from his supporters resounded.

Biden “worried and angry”

Democratic President Joe Biden said he was “worried and angry”. But in a statement, he called on Americans to respect the jury’s decision. “I call on everyone to express their opinions peacefully, while respecting the law.”


Former President Donald Trump, who had already publicly defended Kyle Rittenhouse after the fact, for his part again supported him on Friday evening.

“Congratulations to Kyle Rittenhouse for being declared INNOCENT,” Mr. Trump said in a statement released by his spokesperson. “If that’s not self-defense, nothing is!” he added.

To avoid possible overflows, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers has asked 500 National Guard troops to stand by. Joe Biden said he offered the support of federal forces.

In front of the court, only a handful of people expressed their disgust: “Guilty, guilty, the system is devilishly guilty”, they chanted. “It’s a sad day for America,” Will Diaz, a 44-year-old worker, told AFP.

Protests against the verdict were also held in other cities, including Chicago and New York. In Portland (Oregon, northwest), they turned into a clash with the police.

The muse of the ultraconservatives

On August 23, 2020, when the United States was crossed by giant demonstrations against racism and police violence, this city in the Great Lakes region was set on fire after a smash against an African-American.

Then aged 17, Kyle Rittenhouse had equipped himself with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and had joined armed groups who had come to “protect” the businesses. Under confusing circumstances, he opened fire, killing two men and wounding a third.

“I did nothing wrong, I just defended myself”, he pleaded, in tears, during his trial, assuring to have fired after being chased and attacked by these three men – all white like him.

The accused was “a tourist of chaos” who “sought excitement” and “voluntarily and knowingly put himself in a dangerous situation,” retorted prosecutor Thomas Binger in his indictment.

During the two-week trial, Kyle Rittenhouse appeared free, with supporters paying his $ 2 million bail.

The young man has indeed become a muse in certain right-wing circles, for whom the demonstrations organized under the Black Lives Matter banner (“black lives matter”) were the work of “antifas” or “anarchists”.

He was regularly described as a “hero” or “patriot” by the ultraconservative media and, on Friday, several Republican elected officials welcomed his acquittal. “Justice has been served,” Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson tweeted.

“Miscarriage of justice”

Conversely, for supporters of better regulation of firearms, it embodies the excesses of the right to self-defense.

“That a teenager can (…) shoot three people, killing two, without any criminal consequences is a denial of justice,” said Shannon Watts, founder of the group Moms Demand Action. “This is also the America that the NRA created,” she added, referring to the powerful arms lobby National Rifle Association which campaigns for an unlimited right to carry guns.

Among the advocates of the African-American community, the bitterness was also palpable. The NAACP, the oldest association for the defense of black rights, condemned “a travesty of justice”.

“This is a new example of two-speed justice at work in America,” said lawyer Ben Crump, who has defended many victims of police violence and their relatives. If Kyle Rittenhouse “had been black, the debates and their outcome would have been very different,” he said.

“We have just witnessed the validation of terrorist acts by a system built on white supremacy,” added Colin Kaepernick, the former American football star known for having knelt during the national anthem in solidarity with the African Americans killed by police.

With AFP

1 thought on “Acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse, who killed two anti-racist activists, divides US”

  1. Download BRACKET – Like You Know (1996) Album Mp3 Zip
    Download Banda de música del Estado de Oaxaca – Guelaguetza Oaxaqueña Album Mp3 Zip
    Download Aly & Fila – FSOE 688 – Future Sound of Egypt 688 Album Mp3 Zip
    Download “Little” Jimmy Dickens – Top 100 Classics – The Very Best of Little Jimmy Dickens Album Mp3 Zip
    Download Opera Nera – Land of Salvation – EP Album Mp3 Zip
    Download Rx Nephew – Domimican Plug Album Mp3 Zip
    Download クリスタルKITSUNE – Beach Babes & Vapor Waves Album Mp3 Zip
    Download Storm – Now We Are Here – EP Album Mp3 Zip
    Download Rosemary Loves a Blackberry – Wait a Minute – EP Album Mp3 Zip
    Download Hatesonny – Do Not Disturb – EP Album Mp3 Zip
    Download Various Artists – Sexperience Riddim Album Mp3 Zip
    Download Billy Danze – The Bakers Dozen Album Mp3 Zip
    Download Bebo Best & The Super Lounge Orchestra – Covers Album Mp3 Zip
    Download Champion Jack Dupree – Blues Pianist of New Orleans, Vol. 1 Album Mp3 Zip
    Download Random Forest – Requiescence – EP Album Mp3 Zip
    Download La Ley de Mantua – Seres Inflamables Album Mp3 Zip
    Download Dan Arruda – Dan Arruda – EP Album Mp3 Zip
    Download Kanerva – Kuinka aika pysäytetään Album Mp3 Zip
    Download Das SPEZIAL – Notes_From_the_Under_World Album Mp3 Zip
    Download Marco Faraone – Don’t Need You – EP Album Mp3 Zip
    Download Achim Schultz – Deutschrock 1 – EP Album Mp3 Zip
    Download Luke Noa – Adaptation – EP Album Mp3 Zip
    Download Trafik Traff & Bruno Cammá – Kintsugi Album Mp3 Zip
    Download Gotteshorn – Herzenkrieg Album Mp3 Zip
    Download Nakimushi – Blind – EP Album Mp3 Zip

Comments are closed.