Not Guilty Verdict for Shooter Rittenhouse Reveals US Partisan, Racial Divisions, Poll Shows

© REUTERS / POOL / Kyle Rittenhouse's trial, in Kenosha, WisconsinKyle Rittenhouse's trial, in Kenosha, Wisconsin
Kyle Rittenhouse's trial, in Kenosha, Wisconsin - Sputnik International, 1920, 23.11.2021
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WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The self-defence-based acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse, who killed two and wounded one during a racial justice protest, is backed by a 43-to-39 percent margin, according to a Morning Consult poll.
Support for Rittenhouse’s acquittal is largely driven by whether respondents believe the teen, then 17, was present at a protest to help protect the public or to provoke violence, a press release explaining the poll said.
"Those views fall largely along partisan lines — with 59 percent of Republicans saying the former and 56 percent of Democrats saying the latter — as well as racial lines, with Black Americans (57 percent) far more likely than White Americans (34 percent) to say Rittenhouse had malicious intent," the release said.
Among all adults, 43% said they approve of the verdict, 39% oppose and 18% said they either did not know or declined to offer an opinion, the release added.
Kyle Rittenhouse testifies during his trial at the Kenosha County Courthouse - Sputnik International, 1920, 22.11.2021
Kyle Rittenhouse 'Supports' BLM, Says His Case Had 'Nothing to Do With Race, Was About Self-Defense'
A jury in the state of Wisconsin acquitted Rittenhouse of homicide charges in the August 2020 shooting deaths of two men and the wounding of a third with a semi-automatic rifle. The defendant claimed the shootings were in self-defence while the prosecution charged that the defendant responded to attacks that he had provoked.
The poll of 2,200 US adults was conducted on 19-21 November, according to the release.
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