During an appearance, Kyle Rittenhouse was met with protestors who challenged him about his beliefs and the company sponsoring his appearance.
The response caused Rittenhouse, who killed two people during a protest in 2020, to storm off stage, causing his event to come to an abrupt end.
Kyle Rittenhouse Shot Three People
Kyle Rittenhouse was a teenager when he joined an anti-racism protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin. During that event, he was carrying a gun.
Rittenhouse ended up shooting three people, as reported by The New York Times, which resulted in two dying and one being seriously injured.
Kyle Rittenhouse Was Found Not Guilty
The Guardian reported in 2021 that Rittenhouse had been found not guilty of the shootings.
The three counts Rittenhouse was on trial for were intentional homicide, reckless homicide, and attempted intentional homicide. However, in most courts, these charges would have been for murder.
Kyle Rittenhouse Was Speaking at the University of Memphis
In March 2024, Rittenhouse was giving a speech at the University of Memphis, as reported by The Guardian.
The speech included topics such as the Second Amendment and the Black Lives Matter movement, which many weren’t happy with.
Demonstrators Attended Kyle Rittenhouse’s Speech
The Daily Beast reported that more protestors than supporters were in attendance at Kyle Rittenhouse’s speech.
The protestors had signs with them, including ones that said: “Put Rittenhouse behind bars, not a podium,” and “No killers on my campus.”
Kyle Rittenhouse Was Questioned About Charlie Kirk
Charlie Kirk is the founder and president of Turning Point USA.
Turning Point USA was the sponsor for Rittenhouse’s appearance at the University of Memphis, which caused fury in those protesting.
Protestors Made Kyle Rittenhouse Aware of Charlie Kirk’s Racist Comments
Protestors told Rittenhouse that Kirk had said many racist things, causing Rittenhouse to get on the defensive and say he wasn’t aware Kirk had said anything racist.
The protestor responded by saying, “He says that we shouldn’t celebrate Juneteenth, we shouldn’t celebrate Martin Luther King day – we should be working those days – he called Kentaji Brown Jackson an affirmative action hire, he said all this nonsense about George Floyd, and he said he’d be scared if a Black pilot was on a plane.”
Turning Point USA Wants to Restore Traditional American Values
On the Turning Point USA website, it says that the organization wants to “restore traditional American values,” including patriotism, respect for life, and fiscal responsibility.
The website also claims that the US Constitution is “the most exceptional political document ever written” and that “Capitalism is the most moral and proven economic system ever discovered.”
Protestors Booed Kyle Rittenhouse
Due to Rittenhouse’s claims that he wasn’t aware of Kirk’s comments, this caused the room to boo as he struggled to figure out what to say.
With the backlash he was receiving, Rittenhouse ended up walking off the stage and never looked back, resulting in cheers from the crowd.
Kyle Rittenhouse Claims He Wasn’t Booed Off Stage
Despite Rittenhouse walking off stage at the same time as the boos started, Rittenhouse claims otherwise.
One poster on X (formerly Twitter) shows a video of Rittenhouse, where he claims he wasn’t booed off stage and that his event had a hard cut-off time. He claims it was always planned to have ended at that time.
Kyle Rittenhouse Skipped to the Question and Answer Section
Rittenhouse might claim he ended the event at the time it was meant to, but Newsweek reported he skipped to the question and answer section.
Rittenhouse skipped to the Q&A section due to the protestors, which suggests that his claims of the event ending when it was meant to may not be true.
The Police Have Responded to the Event
Due to Rittenhouse’s appearance at the University of Memphis, there was a heavy law enforcement presence at the event.
Action News 5 spoke to the University of Memphis’s Chief of Police, who said their main priority was having no injuries, and that they didn’t need to interfere with anyone’s rights in line with the First Amendment.
