Arizona State U. Group Fundraising For Accused Kenosha Shooter

PHOENIX — A Republican student group at Arizona State University has come under fire after it announced it would be sending money to Kyle Rittenhouse, accused of fatally shooting two people in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

College Republicans United announced on Twitter this week that half of all funds the organization raises this semester will go to the 17-year-old Illinois resident's legal defense. Rittenhouse has been charged in connection with the fatal shooting of two people and wounding of a third while at a Kenosha protest following the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man. Rittenhouse has said he was acting in self-defense.

“He does not deserve to have his entire life destroyed because of the actions of violent anarchists during a lawless riot,” the tweet said.

The tweet was denounced by many in the ASU community, including ASU College Republicans. ASU College Republicans called College Republicans United a “radical, far-right extremist group” and called for an investigation into their activities. The latter has been accused of racist and anti-Semitic behavior in the past, according to the College Republicans.

The university has said it does not endorse the fundraiser. ASU spent the weekend responding to various people on Twitter with the same message.

"While there is no policy prohibiting student groups from raising funds for a cause such as this, ASU does not endorse or support this effort," the university tweeted. "ASU will be meeting with this student group to learn more about this decision."

Hundreds of ASU students gathered Sunday night in Tempe to protest in favor of the Black Lives Matter movement and called out what they said was the culture at the university. At least one student organization, the Black African Coalition, withdrew from the protest after President Michael Crow said students would be subject to suspension for participating in social gatherings off campus. The university has said he was referring to parties, not protests.

The masked students marched down College Avenue to the ASU police station and then farther into campus. Eventually, a banner was taped over an ASU sign that read "President Crow, do you hear us yet? Stop silencing black students."