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China’s state media seizes on Kyle Rittenhouse divisions as signs of American decline
- Case reveals all the contradictions in US society, broadcaster says, in broader effort to present the country as chaotic
- Other outlets say the nation is moving towards breaking in two
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Chinese state media have seized on polarisation in the United States over the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict as a sign of “decline” and “disintegration” of American democracy and governance.
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Fierce debates about race, gun rights, and self-defence erupted in the US after a court in the state of Wisconsin on Friday cleared Rittenhouse, now 18, of all charges over the fatal shooting of two men and the wounding of another during racial justice protests in Kenosha in August last year.
Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, which has reported on the case and the fallout since Saturday, said on Tuesday that the “Rittenhouse incident is like a macroscope, revealing all the divisions and contradictions in American society”.
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“The verdict has also pushed Biden into a political dilemma,” an anchor said, referring to President Joe Biden who has publicly voiced his anger over the verdict but urged the public to abide by the jury system.
The anchor said Republicans were trying to use the Rittenhouse case to stir up public anger towards Democrats.
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