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Protest march in Oakland, California
Photo: Noah Berger / AP
Protests erupted in numerous US cities after teenager Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted.
The 18-year-old shot two people with his semi-automatic rifle and injured another during anti-racism protests in the US city of Kenosha.
According to police, 200 people protested the verdict in Portland. Some broke windows and threw objects at the police. The authorities described the protests as a "riot" because of "violent, destructive behavior by a significant part of the crowd." There were also calls to burn down the justice center. The police used loudspeakers to urge protesters to leave the streets and threatened the use of pepper spray and batons. By 11 p.m. local time, the crowd had broken up and largely dispersed.
Portland is repeatedly the scene of protests against racism, and violent clashes are frequent.
After the death of the African American George Floyd in a brutal police operation in Minneapolis, the city has developed into a kind of center of the nationwide anti-racism protests.
Appeal from Joe Biden
There were also protest marches against the verdict in Chicago, Oakland and New York.
According to Fox News, looting occurred in Chicago on the brink of protests.
Rittenhouse traveled to Kenosha, Wisconsin in August 2020, and joined armed men there who said they wanted to protect businesses from looting. Protests against racism and police violence broke out in the city after a white police officer shot African American Jacob Blake several times in the back. In an altercation during the protests, Rittenhouse shot dead two men and seriously injured a third. A jury has now ruled that Rittenhouse is innocent. They followed his argument that he had defended himself.
Both Wisconsin Governor and President Joe Biden called on people to peacefully express their views on the outcome of the trial.
He is sure that this ruling will make many Americans angry and concerned, including himself, but the jury's decision should be respected, Biden said.
"The jury system works and we have to stick with it."
hej / Reuters
