PARIS, Sept 16 — Winds of revolution seem to be stirring on Twitter. Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, some of the social network’s users have been speaking out against the British monarchy, where the hashtags #AbolishTheMonarchy and #NotMyKing have been causing a stir.

The Queen is dead. Long live the King? For some Twitter users, the answer is no. The death of Queen Elizabeth II has loosened some tongues, especially those of anti-monarchists.

The hashtags #AbolishTheMonarchy and #NotMyKing have, for example, taken hold on the social network. #AbolishTheMonarchy counts 145,831 tweets (with a peak of activity on September 9, with 41,330 tweets) while #NotMyKing counts 154,125 tweets, including 51,309 on September 13, according to analysis from Visibrain, the social network monitoring tool.

The Irish have been among the most vocal about the death of the sovereign. For example, a video showing a chant by supporters in Dublin’s Tallaght Stadium went viral. In it, the chant “Lizzie is in a box” can be heard, referring to Elizabeth II in her coffin.

A Twitter user even resurrected an excerpt from a 2021 Irish Times column about the royals (published in the aftermath of the famous Oprah interview of Harry and Meghan) by Patrick Freyne, and tweeted it this week, getting attention from the network’s users: “Having a monarchy next door is a little like having a neighbour who’s really into clowns and has daubed their house with clown murals, clown displays, clown dolls in each window and has an insatiable desire to hear about and discuss clown-related news stories.

More specifically, for the Irish, it’s like having a neighbour who’s really into clowns and, also, your grandfather was murdered by a clown.”

Many Twitter users evoked the colonial past of the British monarchy, especially through the many memes that were posted on the platform.

Some users even went so far as to question the country’s democratic system: “In the space of three days, we have a Prime Minister that 99.83 per cent of the population never voted for, and a king and prince that 100 per cent of the population never voted for.

The UK is many things, but a democracy is not one of them. #NotMyKing #NotMyPrince #NotMyPM #AbolishTheMonarchy.” Whether it was King Charles III or Prince William, some in the UK questioned their legitimacy.

Others recalled the various privileges that members of the royal family enjoy compared to the conditions facing much of the country. One notable example is the scandal involving Prince Andrew, the second son of Queen Elizabeth II, accused of pedophilia in the Jeffrey Epstein case.

A video of a young man being violently arrested by the British police after having shouted “disgusting” at Prince Andrew during the passage of the Queen’s coffin, has been shared many times over on Twitter.

Opinions also differ on the question of respect due to the death of a Queen.

Users have highlighted the poverty in the country compared to the wealth of the royal family: “Please stop telling people how to behave/feel about the queen. We’re all free to give our empathy where we like. Some of us don’t empathise with an old woman who protects a pedophile and could end world hunger all by herself. Some of us bow to no one. #AbolishTheMonarchy.”

Another user posted: “Someone in Britain will die of poverty today. There will be no 96 gun salutes. TV news will not report it. We will not be told to mourn the loss of this life. The entire might of the state will not be commandeered to save it. Just another dead poor person.” — ETX Studio