Far-Right Kyle Rittenhouse Propaganda 'Not Factually Based,' Says Kenosha Militia Participant

[Nevilledog]

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https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2020/09/15/far-right-kyle-rittenhouse-propaganda-not-factually-based-says-kenosha-militia-participant

One of the militia members who joined Kyle Rittenhouse in Kenosha, Wisconsin, told Hatewatch that far-right propaganda praising the 17-year-old accused murderer is harmful and said that he was not part of a “well-regulated militia.”

Ryan Balch, the Wisconsin man who Hatewatch reported was immersed in white supremacist propaganda before joining Rittenhouse in Kenosha on Aug. 25, reached out to Hatewatch by phone. He offered additional context about what happened that night, when Rittenhouse allegedly killed two people and injured another. Balch, 31, described the militia contingent that descended on the city in the midst of civil unrest there as being “small groups of friends who went together” in separate groups. He called the groups “ad hoc.” Balch also told Hatewatch that Rittenhouse lied to him that night, claiming that he was 18 years old and an EMT, both of which were untrue.

Referring to the culture war surrounding the violence that gripped Kenosha in August, Balch told Hatewatch in a phone call:

I think that the propaganda around Rittenhouse is not factually based, which I mean, it’s propaganda, so of course. But … it’s really damning [when looking at] the facts of what happened. And, I think them lionizing him is only going to hurt him down the road. It’s only going to [make] the divide bigger. Myself personally, I don’t lionize him. Rittenhouse was a kid who lied to the people he was with. Anybody who was in proximity to him, he lied to us.

Rittenhouse has been celebrated as a hero by many far-right commentators. Fundraising efforts for his legal defense have pulled in around $1 million. Fox News’s Tucker Carlson defended Rittenhouse on his show after his arrest on homicide and gun charges. A channel on the messaging app Telegram associated with the street-brawling Proud Boys published a propaganda video featuring images and video of Rittenhouse, glorifying him to the tune of the song “A Real Hero” from the soundtrack to the 2011 film “Drive.” President Trump also appeared to defend Rittenhouse during a press conference.

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[gratuitous]

1. Okay, all the Nazis lionized Kyle except Ryan

So he gets to be the next caller for "Adolf May I?"