This is the second time in a span of only 18 months that a majority of citizens in the United States have been showing their anger against the culture of ‘white supremacy’. The acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse, who shot and killed two men and wounded another on August 25 last year during the unrest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, has not only invited widespread criticism from different human rights organisations but also demonstrations protesting the verdict. People became furious after a Wisconsin jury found the 18-year-old white boy not guilty of killing and wounding people. The white supremacist groups including pro-gun conservatives have hailed Rittenhouse as a hero.
What we see is that the sensible Americans who want to keep trust in democracy and the Constitution have expressed their profound shock, disappointment and anger over the impunity shown by the juries to the killer boy. Such a massive protest against any court verdict is not very common in US history. The situation has gone worse to such an extent that additional National Guard members have to be deployed in many cities to ensure public safety. Many think that this protest could merge with the George Floyd protest who was murdered by a Minneapolis policeman Derek Chauvin kneeling on his
neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds. In fact, the massive civil unrest and protests against police brutality and racism began in US on May 26 last year following Floyd’s murder.
Kyle Rittenhouse had armed himself with a semi-automatic rifle and said he was protecting a car dealership from being vandalised and to provide medical aid. We find that his crime was not a minor one. He is a product of the white supremacist ideology. Though President Biden has promised to confront white supremacy, racism in fact is on rise among Americans. There was no significant challenge to the supremacy of white people in the US for centuries. It was kept hidden under the shade. But demographic shifts and changing attitudes have brought a sense of insecurity among whites in the last few years. They fear they will lose their majority status, become replaced by minorities. This fear of uncertainty helped flourish white supremacy, and former President Donald Trump cleverly brought it to light just for his political interest. Average American citizens have been showing their anger against this ideology fearing that it could damage the integrity and supremacy of the US as a country in the world.
