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Kyle Rittenhouse NOT GUILTY: Celebs rise in outrage

'Kyle Rittenhouse is proof that white people can still break the law, carry illegal weapons, shoot and kill people, and get away with it'

KENOSHA, WISCONSIN: In a shocking turnout of the Kyle Rittenhouse trial, the 17-year-old accused of fatally shooting two men and injuring one, was found not guilty by the jury at the Kenosha County Court in Wisconsin. The teenager, whose trial almost divided the nation into two warring fronts in the past few weeks, was acquitted of all charges after days of deliberation. He pleaded self-defense in the 2020 Kenosha shootings, the incident that sparked a global debate on gun control, racial injustice, and the culture of vigilantism in USA. 

The 18-year-old was on trial for fatally shooting two Black Lives Matter protesters with a semi-automatic rifle at a demonstration in Kenosha, Wisconsin on August 25, 2020. The jury in the politically-charged case was expected to determine whether Rittenhouse acted in self-defense or was engaged in vigilantism when he used his AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle, killing Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, and wounding Gaige Grosskreutz, now 28. Despite strong arguments of racial injustice, the jury ultimately ruled in favor of Rittenhouse, who became the poster boy of Conservative propaganda for gun rights. 

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During his election campaign in 2020, presidential candidate Joe Biden had vehemently condemned Kyle Rittenhouse's actions and criticized his predecessor Donald Trump for not disavowing white supremacists. In fact, he was one of the first individuals to publicly brand Rittenhouse as a 'white supremacist'. However, on November 19, President Biden took a 360-degree turn on his earlier stance as he announced that he stands by the verdict. "I didn't watch the trial. Look, I stand by what the jury has concluded. The jury system works, and we have to abide by it," Joe Biden stated, drawing severe flak from activists and the public. 

While Conservative icons like Brigitte Gabriel, Lauren Boebert or Senator Ted Cruz celebrated the verdict, many like Martin Luther King III, Keith Boykin, Ava Duvernay, Bette Midler and others severely denounced the same.

"Kyle Rittenhouse is an American HERO," Brigitte Gabriel declared on Twitter, followed by a series of tweets attacking his prosecutors.

Senator Ted Cruz tweeted, "This acquittal isn’t just about Kyle Rittenhouse. This verdict reiterates that every American has the God-given right to self-defense and the protections of the Second Amendment. The corrupt corporate media should be appalled by their coverage of this case from start to finish." 

"Today is a great day for the Second Amendment and the right to self-defense. Kyle Rittenhouse is not guilty on all counts! Glory to God!" tweeted Lauren Boebert.

Meanwhile, liberals, progressive thinkers, activists and several celebrities dubbed the verdict a win for white supremacy, racial injustice and gun violence.

"I knew it. Kyle Rittenhouse is proof that white people can still break the law, carry illegal weapons, shoot and kill people, and get away with it in America by shedding tears and claiming self-defense," author and activist Keith Boykin tweeted. 

Filmmaker Ava DuVernay said, "John Huber and Karen Bloom, parents of murderer #KyleRittenhouse’s victim Anthony Huber: the verdict “sends the unacceptable message that armed civilians can show up in any town, incite violence, and then use the danger they have created to justify shooting people in the street.”

"#kylerittenhouse found not guilty tho we SAW HIM kill two. Fundamentally stupid, I predict he will go on to a big career on #Fox and in #RadicalRightWing circles, which counts as a plus with them. A tragic, tragic day for decent, THINKING, feeling, ethical people everywhere," singer Bette Midler tweeted. 

Martin Luther King's son Martin Luther King III tweeted, "Failure to hold Kyle Rittenhouse accountable sends a clear message that violence, hatred, and racism can and will win in our nation. America, we must do better. We must work towards a nation where racism, poverty, and violence are replaced with peace, justice, and equity."

"I don’t think this is the last case Kyle Rittenhouse is going to have," actor Patricia Arquette tweeted.