Twitter Unites to Roast an Heir of Louis XVI Who Weighed in on America’s Protests

In the wake of the senseless murder of George Floyd (and countless others), thousands of people across America are taking to the streets in protest. These protests, which are happening in several cities, are the result of the rampant and unchecked police brutality that terrorizes people of color. One such riot took place in Louisville, KY, where protesters vandalized a statue of the city’s namesake, France’s King Louis XVI.

Now, his self-proclaimed heir Louis Alphonse de Bourbon, the Duke of Anjou, is weighing in on Twitter to share his thoughts.

Ah yes, in this time of violence and collective anger, will no one think of the statues? The mindbogglingly tone deaf tweet could have only come from a self-styled royal whose lack of self-awareness rivals King Louis XVI himself.

If you’re a little rusty on your history, King Louis XVI was the last king of France before the French Revolution. Louis XVI, while an ineffective and ill-suited ruler, did provide support to American colonists in their war for independence against Great Britain (in an effort to stick it to their long-time fellow European enemy.) In the ensuing revolution, Louis and his wife Marie Antoinette were convicted of treason and condemned to death via guillotine. That sort of thing tends to happen when your citizens are starving to death and desperate for equality.

Naturally, Twitter rallied together to tell Louis Alphonse exactly where he could stick his royal objections:

And here’s the kicker: that statue of King Louis XVI was a notorious re-gift that bounced around France for decades because no one wanted it!

The statue ends up as an apt metaphor for royalty: stony, self-aggrandizing, and utterly useless. Topple white supremacy and decorative nonsense like this.

(via Twitter, image: Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)

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Chelsea Steiner

Chelsea was born and raised in New Orleans, which explains her affinity for cheesy grits and Britney Spears. An pop culture journalist since 2012, her work has appeared on Autostraddle, AfterEllen, and more. Her beats include queer popular culture, film, television, republican clownery, and the unwavering belief that 'The Long Kiss Goodnight' is the greatest movie ever made. She currently resides in sunny Los Angeles, with her husband, 2 sons, and one poorly behaved rescue dog. She is a former roller derby girl and a black belt in Judo, so she is not to be trifled with. She loves the word “Jewess” and wishes more people used it to describe her.

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