“Those colonizers deserve a slap in the face.”
As the Cathedral of Notre Dame burned in Paris on Monday, many Americans expressed sorrow without regard to religion, race, or politics.
However, there was also significant liberal backlash to that sentiment on social media. Commenters accused those who were upset about the blaze of racism – with some calling the iconic cathedral a symbol of colonialism and white supremacy.
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Many were indignant the recent burning of three black churches in Louisiana – allegedly by the white son of a local deputy sheriff – had not received the same amount of attention.
https://twitter.com/danarel/status/1117871565335482368
The GOPers tweeting their “sadness” about the tragic fire in the Notre Dame Cathedral never once mentioned their sadness about the 3 historically black churches being burnt down by a White Supremacist who is also the son of a sheriff.
— Ricky Davila (@TheRickyDavila) April 15, 2019
Feminist activist Linda Sarsour used the opportunity to raise funds for the black churches.
As we watch in horror the fire at the Notre Dame Cathedral, let’s not forget three Black churches in Louisiana burned down by son of the Deputy Sheriff. Don’t turn a blind eye.
Give what you can and let’s help restore these houses of God. 📷: @nytimes https://t.co/GMcAz2fFER pic.twitter.com/02enU0jEP6
— Linda Sarsour (@lsarsour) April 16, 2019
A lot of social media users singled out President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence for joining other world leaders and people around the world in mourning the damage to Notre Dame.
Trump was very quick to tweet about the fire at Notre Dame so I guess it’s safe to assume the fire wasn’t started by a white cop’s son and Notre Dame isn’t a black church in America.
— The Volatile Mermaid (@OhNoSheTwitnt) April 15, 2019
Mike Pence immediately tweeted about the Notre-Dame Cathedral fire.
I don’t remember Pence ever mentioning the three historically black churches that were burnt down by a white supremacist/domestic terrorist. Speaks volumes.
— Deniz S. (@MrFilmkritik) April 15, 2019
Similar condemnations were directed at other Republicans.
The GOPers tweeting their “sadness” about the tragic fire in the Notre Dame Cathedral never once mentioned their sadness about the 3 historically black churches being burnt down by a White Supremacist who is also the son of a sheriff.
— Ricky Davila (@TheRickyDavila) April 15, 2019
Some people cried “Eurocentrism,” complaining that not enough attention had been given to the destruction of houses of worship elsewhere in the world. A number of commenters went as far as cheering the Notre Dame fire.
https://twitter.com/BreeUniverse/status/1117861140489437185
Let Notre Dame burn to the foundation stone as long as no civilians are hurt. Those colonizers deserve a slap in the face, we ain't fogiving you french colonizing pr*cks for nothing.
— Y 🇵🇸 (@havanagetaway) April 15, 2019
Nobody even died in Notre Dame, others complained – though a firefighter and two police officers were injured during the massive 12-hour effort to extinguish the flames. The spire and much of the roof were also destroyed.
Quite a few commenters wanted to talk about a small fire that briefly broke out Monday at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
https://twitter.com/kmsafiyyah/status/1117919695250702338
Others were mad about the destruction of culture across the Middle East.
https://twitter.com/Muna_Mire/status/1117850844039405568
Still others pointed indignantly to the Chinese government’s razing of Uighur mosques.
the horrible Notre Dame news has also made me think of the historic mosques that have recently been destroyed in China, as part of the ongoing attempt to destroy the Uighur culture https://t.co/VJdHv9SYlb
— charlotte (@tambourine) April 15, 2019
Then, there were the anti-colonialist takes.
Absolutely horrible about the Norte Dame Cathedral fire. Yet I can’t help but notice the Eurocentric tears saturating the media landscape. We should also be mourning the countless Native American sites destroyed by Euro selttlers across the entire United States.
— Joshua Frank (@joshua__frank) April 16, 2019
A contingent of liberals suggested that the French deserved to lose Notre Dame because of their colonialist past, which started centuries after the medieval cathedral was built.
https://twitter.com/garamchaiii/status/1117873659253624833
“Karma is a bitch,” several people gloated.
It’s a shame that the French bombing Syria and its ancient architecture didn’t get this much coverage. Karma is a bitch, or in French, le karma est une chienne. #NotreDame
— Dennis (@antisocialist83) April 15, 2019
https://twitter.com/furryves/status/1117907363493597184
At least one Twitter user faulted French “white supremacy” for preserving the cathedral in the first place.
https://twitter.com/wretchedophelia/status/1117872356129738754
For their part, conservatives called out the liberal commentary, suggesting it reflected poorly on the left.
https://twitter.com/jonkay/status/1117929902781526016
However, some commenters on the right offered ideological takes of their own. Refusing to accept official declarations that the cause of the fire remains unknown, and the operating theory is that it was an accident, they connected the fire to a recent spate of thefts and vandalism at French churches or to attempted Islamist terrorist attacks in the past.
Glenn Beck speculates on the Notre Dame fire: "If this was started by Islamists, I don't think you'll find out about it." pic.twitter.com/Yvq5iRdUCw
— Jason S. Campbell (@JasonSCampbell) April 16, 2019
Others blamed Muslims or called for a white uprising.
If the Nortre Dame fire serves to spur the White man into action–to sieze power in his countries, in Europe, in the world–then it will have served a glorious purpose and we will one day bless this catastrophe.
— Richard Spencer (@RichardBSpencer) April 15, 2019
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron vowed to rebuild Notre Dame.
“I say to you very solemnly this evening: This cathedral will be rebuilt by us all together,” he said at the site of the fire. “We will rebuild Notre Dame because that is what the French expect, because that is what our history deserves, because it is our destiny.”
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