As photos began circulating of MAGA insurgents attacking the Capitol building in an effort to stop the certification of the presidential election, people couldn’t help but crack jokes about the appearance of Jake Angeli, a.k.a. the “QAnon Shaman.” While dressed as some sort of furry, face-painted viking weirdo, Angeli’s outfit was quickly dubbed the “Chewbacca bikini,” and people were not thrilled with Chewie’s good name being associated with the violent insurrection committed in service to Donald Trump.
Fans of the beloved Star Wars character took to Twitter to slap down jokes about Angeli’s outfit while noting that not only was it not fair to Chewbacca, but it probably isn’t a good idea to inject humor onto a domestic terrorist, who participated in an assault on the nation’s capitol that left four people dead.
Not talking about any more of this shit today, but:
1. Using the term “Chewbacca bikini” applies some false sense and perception of humor and innocence to a rioter and
2. Leave my guy Chewbacca the eff out of this, he would rip that dude’s arms off. https://t.co/wTO8gzNauF— John Hoey (@JohnnyHoey) January 7, 2021
As a Jedi, I can say with 100% certainty that this guy does not deserve to be called Chewbacca. Don’t give him that honor pic.twitter.com/D6uTvKFLCF
— Jedidiah Weller
(@jedihacks) January 7, 2021
Not y’all bitch asses slandering Chewbacca to make a shitty joke. Don’t disrespect my boy like that.
— rachel leishman (@RachelLeishman) January 7, 2021
Can people please stop calling this dude Chewbacca. Put some respect on Chewy’s name pic.twitter.com/5o9xs7t9Bh
— Jay Palfreeman (@JayPalfreeman) January 7, 2021
One is a hairy patriot and a hero to the Rebellion. The other is an unkempt, not very creative cosplayer, and a violent anarchist and criminal thug. No comparison. #Chewbacca pic.twitter.com/jKnMxZNUvL
— Atticus Fish
(@Rogue1Lawyer) January 7, 2021
In the aftermath of the attack, the right wing media has been attempting to blame Antifa as the actual perpetrators of the attempted coup, which has not sat well with protesters like Angeli. The “QAnon Shaman” has pushed back on those claims and wants people to know that he has a known history of fighting against Black Lives Matter and Antifa. In a series of deleted tweets, Angeli rejected accusations by noted QAnon lawyer Lin Wood that Shaman was a plant. (Both men have had their accounts suspended following the assault in Washington.) Via Newsweek:
“Mr. Wood. I am not antifa or blm. I’m a Qanon & digital soldier,” he tweeted. “My name is Jake & I marched with the police & fought against BLM & ANTIFA in PHX. Look up OAN’s coverage of July 4ths rally in PHX capital. I was standing against the BLM mob out numbered but unphased.”
As Angeli makes it publicly known that he’s not a member of Antifa and was directly involved with the attack on the Capitol, the FBI is gathering the names of participants, so we’re sure they’ll appreciate the assist.
(Via Newsweek)