Rage Against the Machine shared a statement about the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict on their Instagram.
“What defines innocence in America?” the statement under a photo of Rittenhouse crying in court began. “Tamir Rice was executed by police for playing with a toy. Nobody was charged. Ahmaud Arbery went jogging and was murdered in broad daylight.
“Kyle Rittenhouse armed himself and killed people who were fighting for racial justice. He claimed self-defense. This is the settler logic of America’s founding myth: whiteness must cast itself as the victim in order to justify its violence against those resisting its oppression. Welcome to the Land of the Free, Home of the Brave.”
Rittenhouse was acquitted on Friday (Nov. 19) of all charges in connection to a fatal shooting during a 2020 protest in Kenosha, Wis. The protest was in connection to the police shooting of Jacob Blake.
Rittenhouse Traveled from his home state of Illinois to Kenosha, where he shot and killed Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber. He also injured Gaige Grosskreutz. His attorneys argued that he acted in self-defense.
After the verdict was read, the country erupted in both celebration and protest.
The band’s post has since received over 60,000 likes. The comment section under the post has been made limited, meaning the band can control who can comment on the post in their privacy settings. So far, there appears to be no comments under the statement.
20 Artists Who Told Politicians to Stop Using Their Music
Politicians are consistently using songs by bands without their permission, and these artists had enough of it.
