EDMONTON -- A U.S. teen publicly shamed her mother for being punched in the face during a violent altercation at a pro-Trump rally outside of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday.
“Hi mom remember the time you told me I shouldn’t go to BLM protests [because] they could get violent... this you,” read a tweet sent by 18-year-old Helena Duke on Thursday.
The tweet included a video showing a Black woman, who appears to be wearing a security uniform, speaking into her phone in a crowd of people, many wearing “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) hats and pro-Trump apparel.
The video shows a white woman reaching over to grab the phone. The Black woman reacts, punching her in the face, and chaos breaks out in the crowd.
Duke, who was unaware of her mother’s whereabouts, was shocked to find out the woman pictured in the video was her mother.
“My mom told me she was taking her sister to get a procedure done. She was really vague about it and didn’t tell me where she was going. The day she left, she turned her location tracking off,” Duke told CTVNews.ca by phone from Massachusetts.
“One of my cousins sent the video to me and said, ‘That’s your mom.’”
The video, which has garnered nearly 7 million views since it was posted to Twitter on Wednesday, was reportedly taken during a fight between supporters of Black Lives Matter and Trump at Freedom Plaza in Washington.
Duke’s tweet had been retweeted more than 56,000 times at time of publishing, many calling her a “hero” for holding her mother accountable, and others reaching out to offer support to the teen.
“There’s definitely been a lot of turmoil [in my family],” Duke told CTVNews.ca, noting her mother has forced her to leave home over similar situations in the past.
“Our political views are obviously very different. In the height of the Black Lives Matter protests I decided to go, but my mom was telling me ‘absolutely not’ because she thought Black Lives Matter was violent and that the protests would get violent.
I just find it very hypocritical,” she continued.
Duke claimed her uncle and aunt were also in attendance at the riot.
The teen, who is staying with her girlfriend’s family for the time being, said she has had limited contact with her mother since the incident. Her mother has since returned home.
Though her mother has accused her of putting the family in danger, Duke says she doesn’t regret publicly identifying her mother.
“At first, I was like, ‘I knew it.’ Then I thought, ‘That’s my mom.’ It’s very surreal, all of it,” she said. “But she has to be held accountable.”
The FBI has since asked for Americans to help identify the people that participated in Wednesday's riot and insurrection at the Capitol by submitting names or photos and videos of those involved.
Duke has not formally reported her mother to the authorities, but notes that both the video and her tweets have been shared widely enough that someone else may have.
