The final word: van Aanholt signs off from his Twitter ‘discussion’ with Hopkins
“Twitter spats” are rarely worth reporting on, but Palace defender Patrick van Aanholt last night won widespread praise across social media when he delivered some withering rebukes to that living and breathing example of “white privilege”, the toxic Katie Hopkins.
From the exchange, in which the 29-year-old Dutch international defender maintained a cool politeness throughout, it was clear that van Aanholt had never before heard of Hopkins. For which he really ought to be grateful.
Hopkins is the bottom-of-the-barrel product of “celebrity culture”, propelled to a position of widespread influence mainly for the fact that she was once runner-up on a reality television show. By such processes, do we find ourselves in Brexit Britain, 2020.
Hopkins, a former columnist for The Sun and Mail Online, has often been accused of being racist. So no one really ought to be surprised when Hopkins’ reaction to mass protests against the brutal killing of a black man, George Floyd, was to tweet: “Today is #whiteoutwednesday. I will shortly be posting a picture of my arse. Thank you.”
Palace star: Patrick van Aanholt
Van Aanholt, and doubtless millions of others, found this deeply, and deliberately, offensive.
“I don’t know who she is but WOW…2020 needs to cancel you,” he tweeted.
Hopkins then posted a video, and appeared to question the integrity of the worldwide Black Lives Matter protests.
“She really likes to talk,” was van Aanholt’s next tweet. “How long she been on this nonsense for?”
The self-obsessed Hopkins rose to the bait. “Dear @pvanaanholt My name is Katie Hopkins. I am a white Christian Conservative. You May kneel and kiss my ring.”
‘Not that colour or religion has anything to do with it’
It appears that van Aanholt is as classy on social media as he is patrolling Palace’s defence.
“Dear @KTHopkins My name is Patrick van Aanholt, I am Dutch Black, I’m also Christian (not that colour or Religion has anything to do with it),” he replied.
“As for your ring you are welcome to come to Selhurst and kiss my big toe… I’ll wait.”
He also posted a sinister-looking image, along with the message: “Katie be like ‘I’m Christian and I’m white’… OK then.”
Hopkins has yet to respond to the invitation to watch van Aanholt play football.
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