ASU student groups call for Kyle Rittenhouse’s removal from online classes

A student group at Arizona State University (ASU) plans to host a Wednesday “rally and protest to get murderer Kyle Rittenhouse off our campus.” 

ASU’s Students for Socialism is joined by other organizations — including Students for Justice in Palestine, the Multicultural Solidarity Coalition and MECHA de ASU — in the demands regarding Rittenhouse, who earlier this month was acquitted on murder charges after fatally shooting two protesters in Kenosha, Wis., last year.

Students for Socialism is calling for ASU to release a statement condemning Rittenhouse and white supremacy as well as reaffirming support for the university’s multicultural center.

“Even with a not-guilty verdict from a flawed ‘justice’ system- Kyle Rittenhouse is still guilty to his victims and the families of those victims,” the group said in a statement. “Join us to demand from ASU that these demands be met to protect students from a violent, blood-thirsty murderer.”

Join us and rally against racist murderer Kyle Rittenhouse being permitted on our campus – Wednesday at 3:30 outside the Nelson Fine Arts Center on campus pic.twitter.com/4Hs3JxRqtY

— Students for Socialism ASU (@SFSASU) November 26, 2021

“The danger Kyle Rittenhouse presents is not just as a person on campus, representing the violence marginalized people face every day, but the racist and fascist right-wing elements that he will bring on campus,” the student groups said in a collective statement obtained by The Hill. 

They added that Rittenhouse “has been followed online and in real-life by extremely violent right-wing nazis, fascists, and klan hanger-ons.”

“Having such a high-profile right-wing fascist icon on our campus would be giving these organizations a free pass to recruit and organize students,” the groups’ statement also said. 

During Rittenhouse’s trial, the 18-year-old said he was “a college student studying nursing at Arizona State University.”  

The university, however, told The Hill on Monday that Rittenhouse was “not currently enrolled.”

“Kyle Rittenhouse has not gone through the ASU admissions process. University records show that he is not currently enrolled in any classes at ASU,” a spokesperson said. “Due to student privacy, we cannot get into any other details.”

The university previously said, “ASU can confirm that Mr. Rittenhouse enrolled as a non-degree seeking ASU Online student for the session that started Oct. 13, 2021, which allows students access to begin taking classes as they prepare to seek admission into a degree program at the university,” according to 12 News, an NBC affiliate in Arizona, which reported that Rittenhouse was taking online classes.

Rittenhouse was acquitted of all five charges he faced: first-degree intentional homicide, attempted first-degree intentional homicide, first-degree reckless homicide and two counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety.

Updated 11:11 p.m.