Conservative commentator Candace Owens is not backing down after one of her tweets criticizing the treatment of Russian citizens received support from the Russian embassy in the United States.
Last week, Owens posted on Twitter that she found the treatment Russian citizens in the United States and around the world are receiving is "appalling." It was a message that was amplified and retweeted by two official Russian embassy accounts.
On Monday, Owens said she stood by those words, doubling down on her earlier message. She went on to compare the treatment of Russian citizens abroad to that of Japanese-American citizens during WWII.
Owens' initial tweet on March 9 drew a comparison to the treatment of Russians in the U.S. to the Black Lives Matter movement.
Absolutely appalling the way Russians are being treated in America and abroad. That our leaders and government institutions are allowing for—and at times calling for this discrimination following their global “black lives matter” hysteria is quite telling.
— Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) March 9, 2022
Russian lives matter.
"That our leaders and government institutions are allowing for—and at times calling for this discrimination following their global 'black lives matter' hysteria is quite telling. Russian lives matter." she wrote in her initial tweet.
Soon after Owens posted her thoughts, the official Twitter accounts for the Russian Embassy in the United States and the Russian Embassy in Canada amplified Owens' message by retweeting it.
On Monday, Owens was unapologetic and drew a comparison to how the U.S. put citizens of Japanese descent into internment camps during World War II.
For those of you sitting on the edge or your seats—I stand by every word of my tweet pertaining to the treatment of Russian citizens abroad.
— Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) March 14, 2022
Those calling for russian students, opera singers, etc to be banned are the kind of scum who would have demanded the Japanese internment.
"For those of you sitting on the edge or your seats—I stand by every word of my tweet pertaining to the treatment of Russian citizens abroad," she wrote. "Those calling for russian students, opera singers, etc to be banned are the kind of scum who would have demanded the Japanese internment."
Owens was criticized for her stance, with some Twitter users tweeting that they believed she was spreading propaganda for Putin. Another Twitter user called Owens a "complete utter embarrassment to black people and America in general."
Candace Never misses a chance to be be a complete utter embarrassment to black people and Americans in general. She somehow finds her self on the wrong side of the issue but pandering for Putin is a new low. UnAmerican. https://t.co/lwfNTVbtYy
— The Sweet Slim Jones Stories (@120fotos) March 14, 2022
Not everyone disagreed with Owens' take. One user said that "the fact that Candace is trending for this perfectly reasonable tweet just because the Russian Embassy [retweeted it] doesn't make it less true. Poor people who live in Russia couldn't want war less and Russian expats being discriminated against for their government's decisions."
The fact that Candace is trending for this perfectly reasonable tweet just because the Russian Embassy rt it doesn't make it less true. Poor people who live in Russia who couldn't want war less and Russian expats being discriminated against for their government's decisions. https://t.co/B4UTPne5Rl
— Semi Pilots End Dictators (@JustCallMeSPED) March 14, 2022
Owens' words come after Fox News host Tucker Carlson has been criticized for his public statements on Russia and Ukraine. Some of his comments regarding Putin and Russia have even been featured on Russian TV.
"Democrats in Washington have told you you have a patriotic duty to hate Vladimir Putin," Carlson said on Tucker Carlson Tonight last month. "Anything less than hatred of Putin is treason...hating Putin has become the central purpose of America's foreign policy."
Additionally, former Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard stirred up controversy this week for a video she posted on social media alleging the U.S. had funded bio labs in Ukraine.
Republican Senator Mitt Romney of Utah, had harsh words for Gabbard. saying on Twitter that she was "parroting false Russian propaganda" and that her "treasonous lies may well cost lives."
