Fury as Tucker Carlson defends teenage gunman suspected of killing two protesters

Fox News host Tucker Carlson has sparked fury when he defended a teenager who is suspected of killing two people at protests in Wisconsin.

Kyle Rittenhouse, is a 17-year-old from Illinois who reportedly travelled to Wisconsin where there have been widespread protests following the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha.

According to the Associated Press, footage from the incident shows Rittenhouse saying that he had just killed two people but was allowed to walk past two police officers while carrying an automatic rifle.

The outspoken Carlson, who is never far from controversy, attempted to defend Rittenhouse on his show on Wednesday night by saying that the teenager was trying to "maintain order when no one else would."

Are we really surprised that looting and arson accelerated to murder? How shocked are we that 17-year-olds with rifles decided that they had to maintain order when no one else would?

Carlson's defence of the suspect has prompted shock on social media with some calling for his show to be taken off the air.

Carlson continued his rant by accusing law enforcement officials of allowing their city to descend into anarchy.

Kenosha has devolved into anarchy, the authorities in charge of the city abandoned it … People in charge, from the governor of Wisconsin on down, refused to enforce the law. They stood back and watched Kenosha burn. Our leaders want us to believe this is a racial conflict, they’re always telling us it is. They’re lying. It is not a racial conflict.

This is not a race war. This is a class war.

Rittenhouse has since been detained and charged with first-degree intentional homicide after he allegedly killed two people and injured another during a protest on Tuesday and listed as a fugitive from justice. Rittenhouse has been assigned a public defender ahead of his hearing on Friday. Anyone 17 or older is treated as an adult in the criminal justice system under Wisconsin law.