A picture and 140 characters are worth a thousand words – and the hope of a nation divided.
Don’t believe me? Just ask Barack Obama, who sent a simple tweet bearing a message of love and unity in the aftermath of the Charlottesville clashes between Neo-Nazi terror groups and liberal counter-protesters.
The tweet is now officially the most liked Tweet in history, and you can see why:
Nineteen people were injured, and one killed, in a car-ramming incident on Saturday during a ‘Unite the Right’ rally. Heather D Heyer, a 32-year-old anti-racism campaigner, has since been named as the victim.
Another 15 people were wounded in separate clashes related to the far-right march on Saturday afternoon.
Many have responded in outrage, grief and disbelief; none more eloquently than former President Barack Obama, who shared his little nugget of wisdom which was liked by nearly 3 million people, at the time of writing.
Violence originally broke out when white supremacists and members of the far right clashed with anti-fascist counter-protesters at the Unite the Right Rally, which was organised to protest the removal of a statue of Civil War Confederate General Robert E Lee.
Anti-racism protesters attended to condemn the swastika-toting display of Confederate flags and nazi-salutes, brazenly showcased by those in KKK robes.
Meanwhile, the 45th President, Donald Trump, has been widely criticised by both Democrats and Republicans for not explicitly condemning the White Supremacists and their transparent racism.
Hours after the violence erupted, Mr Trump said he condemned ‘in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry, and violence on many sides’.
The former Apprentice host added:
The hate and the division must stop right now. We have to come together as Americans with love for our nation.
Neo-Nazis have since praised President Trump for his lax response to racist violence, which seemed to place blame at the door of peaceful anti-fascist protesters.
In a widely praised reaction, the U.S. state of Illinois has officially passed a resolution calling for neo-Nazi groups to be classified as terrorist organisations.
Meanwhile, Obama’s simple tweet – a Nelson Mandela quote, no less – of unity and love speaks to the fact that we are created equal and any differentiation between race or religion or class is a societal construct born out of ignorance and fear.
It is a call to arms against bigotry, at a time when we need it most.
A former emo kid who talks too much about 8Chan meme culture, the Kardashian Klan, and how her smartphone is probably killing her. Francesca is a Cardiff University Journalism Masters grad who has done words for BBC, ELLE, The Debrief, DAZED, an art magazine you’ve never heard of and a feminist zine which never went to print.