Fox News host Tucker Carlson claimed that the 17-year-old gunman who was charged with killing two people was ‘maintaining orders when no one else would.
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Carlson said on his show: “Are we really surprised this looting and arson accelerated to murder? How shocked are we that 17-year-olds with rifles decided they had to maintain order when no one else would? Everyone can see what was happening in Kenosha.
“It was getting crazier by the hour.”
Carlson was referring to 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse who was filmed patrolling Kenosha streets while carrying AR-15. He said that the teen was a ‘vigilante’ who was there on Tuesday night to protect local businesses from looters and arsonists.
But the Fox News host’s remarks sparked outraged on social media, where people claimed he was ‘justifying violence.’
Some critics called for Carlson to be fired while others demanded a boycott of his advertisers.
A spokesperson for Fox News pointed to the host’s Twitter post where he said: “Kenosha devolved into anarchy because the authorities abandoned the people. Those in charge, from the governor on down, refused to enforce the law.
“They’ve stood back and watched Kenosha burn. Are we really surprised that looting and arson accelerated to murder?”
One Twitter user commented: “Tucker defended a 17 year old murdering people in an act of terrorism. It was NOT his ‘’duty’’. FOX news is a joke.
Another wrote: “I almost never get involved with hashtags focused on specific individuals, and don’t really go in for hashtags generally, but what Tucker Carlson is doing right now to incite mayhem and murder by roaming gangs of armed vigilantes absolutely requires Fox News to #FireTuckerCarlson.”
A third added: “Tucker Carlson is going to get people killed.”
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