Amazon founder Jeff Bezos slammed a Carnegie Mellon professor on Thursday who called for the death of Queen Elizabeth II to be “excruciating[ly]” painful.
Queen Elizabeth II, who ascended to the British throne at age 25, counted Winston Churchill and former President Reagan as close friends, and became the longest-reigning monarch in the nation’s history, died Thursday at the age of 96.
Professor Uju Anya, who teaches linguistics and critical race studies at Carnegie Mellon University, according to the school’s website, sent out her maleficent remark via Twitter. At the time, the beloved queen’s death had not yet been announced.
“I heard the chief monarch of a thieving raping genocidal empire is finally dying,” she tweeted. “May her pain be excruciating.”
Bezos responded to the tweet, writing: “This is someone supposedly working to make the world better? I don’t think so. Wow.”
This is someone supposedly working to make the world better? I don’t think so. Wow. https://t.co/2zoi6CdFMq
— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) September 8, 2022
Bezos’ tweet garnered tens of thousands of retweets and likes within a short period of time, and helped blow up the professor’s tweet so quickly that Twitter later removed it from the platform.
After the news broke of the queen’s death, Anya, who hails from Nigeria, doubled down with another nasty social media missive.
“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,” she wrote.
Though the British monarchy is largely ceremonial from a legal standpoint, Queen Elizabeth II did wonders for national morale throughout her life, especially in times of political and cultural turmoil. Yet one of her greatest achievements came early in her career, when she served as a steadfast symbol following the drama that preceded her ascension to the throne in the early 1950s.
Her Majesty was active during the entirety of her decades-long reign. The most well-traveled monarch in history, the Queen visited 110 countries and was received so well that major parks, cities, and statues bearing her namesake can be found in nearly every corner of the globe. She was ubiquitous in popular culture, appearing in ceremonies, sporting events, and on coins, and was the subject of films and shows. As of 2021, Queen Elizabeth II was named the third most admired woman in a global survey. She was the only royal on the list.
Hank Berrien and Amanda Harding contributed to this report.