Rittenhouse acquittal could inspire far-right extremist violence

NEWSER – On Friday, November 19  a jury acquitted 18-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse of five felony charges, after he killed Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber and seriously wounded Gaige Grosskreutz during a protest over police brutality against Black Americans.

That same day, his fans celebrated online. Far-right extremists held him up as “the hero we’ve been waiting for” and called him a “saint” — a title they often give to racially motivated mass murderers and right-wing terrorists.

Rittenhouse’s acquittal comes as the Department of Justice and the FBI have said the top threat facing the US comes from racially or ethnically motivated violent domestic extremists. According to experts on terrorism, history shows that moments like this, punctuated with acquittals like his, are often followed by more violent acts.

“It has never taken more than a whisper of approval to fan the flames of militant right action, and the Kenosha acquittal is a shout,” one historian said.

Meanwhile, the parents of Anthony Huber, one of the two men killed by Rittenhouse, argued the verdict brought “no justice” for Huber or the two other men shot by Rittenhouse. At the same time, some Republican lawmakers and candidates have publicly celebrated Rittenhouse’s acquittal and offered him congressional internships.