Queen Elizabeth II: The Colonizer
On September 8, 2022, the 96-year-old Queen of England passed away after a 70-year reign. As people worldwide mourned, the significant question of her real impact on the world must be asked.
Queen Elizabeth II ruled during a colonial era. With ongoing racism against Asian and African colonies, the queen stood as a modern face of colonization for Indigenous people worldwide. The consequences of her and the extended royal family’s intense colonialism and racism live on with violent aftereffects, while the monarchy continues to profit from it. For as long as this monarchy has existed, it has been an imperialist power that continues to target global resources and contribute to poverty. We cannot downplay the existence of this billion-dollar royal family as nothing. We must remember that these acts of colonial violence are in the queen's name.
The queen herself made a concentrated effort to prevent independence movements and colonies from leaving the Commonwealth. Her legacy involves the perpetuation of institutionalized racism and the lack of accountability involving her family members. The queen didn’t allow people of color to work for her until the late 1960s, and it’s important to not forget how she defended her son, Prince Andrew, for grooming children by paying off sexual assault charges for an estimated 13 to15 million pounds.
While the royal family mourns peacefully, they are also profiting off a lifetime of exploitation. In total, according to Indy100, only 22 countries or territories in the world have never been colonized or invaded by Britain, meaning 90% of all countries have had to suffer under the oppression of the United Kingdom. This is simply a reminder that war criminals — including every person who held the title of “POTUS” — continue to be honored by our society, while at the same time, communities of victims suffer the aftereffects of genocidal violence, white supremacy, and colonialist religious persecution. Those in power profited from the slave trade, creation of violent ethnic rivalries, and many more human rights violations that countries of color and developing countries still fall victim to this day.
"There are people literally around the world, rejoicing at this woman's death, not because they're vile or cold but because her reign and the reign of her monarchy by extension was violent," said Uju Anya, professor at Carnegie Mellon and child of England's colonization. Queen Elizabeth II was a violent woman in power, who continued Britain's reign of disenfranchisement and imperialism of thousands of countries. Look behind the facade of the royal family, because this modern day colonizer is not worth your time.
