Left-wing academic violates Twitter rules by wishing Queen Elizabeth II an 'excruciating' death
As the world mourns the death of Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch in British history, a self-described feminist university professor was roundly condemned for wishing the queen an "excruciating" death.
"I heard the chief monarch of a thieving raping genocidal empire is finally dying. May her pain be excruciating," Carnegie Mellon University linguistics professor Dr. Uju Anya wrote on Twitter Thursday morning after news broke that doctors were concerned for the queen's health. Her tweet has since been taken down for violating Twitter rules.
But Anya's sentiments were shared by a handful of other left-wing academics and media personalities, who called the queen a "colonizer" and expressed disdain for the British empire.
"Real question for the 'now is not the appropriate time to talk about the negative impact of colonialism' crowd: When is the appropriate time to talk about the negative impact of colonialism?" Washington Post national political reporter Eugene Scott tweeted.
\u201cReal question for the \u201cnow is not the appropriate time to talk about the negative impact of colonialism\u201d crowd:\n\nWhen is the appropriate time to talk about the negative impact of colonialism?\u201d— Eugene Scott (@Eugene Scott) 1662655131
"I will not mourn a colonizer," wrote Aabria Iyengar, a tabletop role-playing game streamer who has appeared as a guest on the popular Critical Role show.
\u201cI will not mourn a colonizer.\u201d— Aabria Iyengar \ud83c\udf39 (@Aabria Iyengar \ud83c\udf39) 1662658639
"Good riddance to any and all murdering colonizers," said independent journalist Kavin Senapathy.
\u201cGood riddance to any and all murdering colonizers\ud83d\udc51\u201d— Kavin Senapathy (@Kavin Senapathy) 1662660543
Ebony Elizabeth Thomas, an associate professor at the University of Michigan, defended criticisms of the queen upon her death.
\u201cTelling the colonized how they should feel about their colonizer's health and wellness is like telling my people that we ought to worship the Confederacy. \ud83d\ude12\n\n"Respect the dead" when we're all writing these Tweets *in English.* How'd that happen, hm? We just chose this language?\u201d— Ebony Elizabeth Thomas (@Ebony Elizabeth Thomas) 1662650166
"Telling the colonized how they should feel about their colonizer's health and wellness is like telling my people that we ought to worship the Confederacy," she wrote. "'Respect the dead' when we're all writing these Tweets *in English.* How'd that happen, hm? We just chose this language?"
However, many others swiftly condemned Anya and came to the defense of the queen and her legacy.
“This is someone supposedly working to make the world better?” billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos wrote, quoting Anya's tweet. "I don't think so. Wow."
\u201cThis is someone supposedly working to make the world better? I don\u2019t think so. Wow.\u201d— Jeff Bezos (@Jeff Bezos) 1662655895
"You vile disgusting moron," British broadcast journalist Piers Morgan said to Anya.
\u201cYou vile disgusting moron.\u201d— Piers Morgan (@Piers Morgan) 1662658248
"Uju, what happened to your family is a tragedy but Britain under Queen Elizabeth II was far less of a 'thieving raping genocidal empire' than it had been before then -- and for all its faults, that empire had positive consequences, as well. She wasn't the villain you suggest," Fox News editor Tyler O'Neil charitably wrote.
\u201cUju, what happened to your family is a tragedy but Britain under Queen Elizabeth II was far less of a "thieving raping genocidal empire" than it had been before then -- and for all its faults, that empire had positive consequences, as well. She wasn't the villain you suggest.\u201d— Tyler O'Neil (@Tyler O'Neil) 1662664109
Anya posted a follow-up message at 1:51 p.m. ET after Buckingham Palace announced that Queen Elizabeth II had passed.
"If anyone expects me to express anything but disdain for the monarch who supervised a government that sponsored the genocide that massacred and displaced half my family and the consequences of which those alive today are still trying to overcome, you can keep wishing upon a star," shewrote.
\u201cIf anyone expects me to express anything but disdain for the monarch who supervised a government that sponsored the genocide that massacred and displaced half my family and the consequences of which those alive today are still trying to overcome, you can keep wishing upon a star.\u201d— Uju Anya (@Uju Anya) 1662659490