ARMED MILITIAS
Militias have taken to platforms such as TikTok in recent years where they’ve shared extremist content and spread wacky conspiracy theories.
Isabel Sawkins, of the Henry Jackson Society, told The Sun that far-right movements were “emboldened” under former President Trump and she fears the US could edge further towards a civil war in the wake of Kyle Rittenhouse’s trial.
A wave of protests swept the nation in cities following the killing of George Floyd by a police officer on May 25, 2020.
In Kenosha, Wisconsin, riots were sparked when Jacob Blake was shot by cops and left partially paralyzed on August 23.
Rittenhouse, then-17, vowed to “protect businesses” in Kenosha amid the chaos, and traveled to the area armed with an AR-15-style rifle.
On August 25, Rittenhouse shot and killed Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, and wounded Gaige Grosskreutz.
On Friday, he was cleared of murder and attempted murder over the shootings, after convincing a jury he had acted in self defense.