Kyle Rittenhouse, the gun rights activist who shot and killed two men during a 2020 protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin, has been hospitalised after a venomous spider bite, according to social media posts.

From the hospital, Rittenhouse shared images of himself attached to monitoring equipment alongside photos marking the area on his leg where he said he was bitten. He wrote, 'The communists couldn't take me out and I'll be damned if I let a brown recluse take me out.'

In another message, he added, 'The spider, like the commies, also thought it was a good idea to come after me while I was armed. He did not survive.'

The communists couldn't take me out and i'll be damned if I let a brown recluse take me out.pic.twitter.com/75xSoshhdv

His popularity links back to theevents in 2020 in Kenosha, Wisconsin, during protests that followed the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Rittenhouse was 17 at the time and travelled to the city while demonstrations were taking place. He said he went there as part of a group aiming to protect businesses, while prosecutors argued he had brought a rifle into a tense situation and helped escalate the risk on the ground.

Those events led to a major criminal trial and years of public disagreement over whether his actions should be seen as self-defence or as reckless involvement in a violent protest environment.

The reaction to his hospital posts was sharply divided. Some supporters repeated his tough, defiant way of describing the situation, while critics focused on the tone and timing, saying it felt inappropriate given the context.

A few public figures who often support gun rights also offered encouragement, including Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, who wrote 'you got this', to which Rittenhouse replied, 'Thank you, Senator!'

Still, most of the public reaction had little to do with the spider bite itself. Instead, it once again brought attention to Rittenhouse's past and the events of 2020 in Kenosha, Wisconsin, during protests after the police shooting of Jacob Blake. He shot and killed Joseph Rosenbaum, Anthony Huber, and injured Gaige Grosskreutz during the unrest.

He was charged with several offences, including homicide, but said he acted in self-defence. In 2021, a jury found him not guilty on all major charges. The verdict remains deeply controversial. Supporters view it as a justified outcome in a dangerous situation, while critics, including Huber's family, call it deeply harmful and say it undermines accountability.

Source: International Business Times UK