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Who is Helena Duke? 18-year-old names and shames 'brainwashed' mom, uncle and aunt for joining Capitol riots

'I think it was definitely so hypocritical of her to end up kicking me out of the house for going to peaceful (BLM) protests because she assumed they’d be violent, and then end up going to this'

An 18-year-old teenager from Massachusetts shamed her 'brainwashed' mother on social media for storming the Capitol riot on Wednesday, January 6, 2021. Reportedly, she claimed that her mother lied to her and told her she was going to visit an out-of-town doctor.

Helena Duke took the Internet by storm on January 7, 2021, after posting a series of tweets and a video of a woman, she claimed was her mother, getting punched in the face during the violent pro-Donald Trump protests in Washington, DC. She wrote the caption: “Hi mom remember the time you told me I shouldn’t go to BLM protests bc they could get violent…this you?”

In the footage shared by Duke, a White woman can be seen trying to grab a Black female officer's phone, before getting punched right between her eyes. Duke followed up the tweet with another post comparing a picture of the bloody-faced woman in the video with a picture of her mom, saying “for those that don’t believe it’s my mother…”

The first tweet posted by Duke got shared more than 70,000 times. Duke said she only learned that her mom was participating in the violent uprising after seeing a footage online.

“She didn’t give me any more information about it, she was very vague… When I found out about the Capitol being stormed, I looked at her location sharing and it had been off for two days, so I assumed in that moment, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, she might actually be there,'” Duke told The Post. “And then the next day, my cousin shared a video of her getting punched in the face… by police after harassing them.”

Duke's mother, Theresa Duke, was a former Democrat whose political views changed abruptly about three years ago. Duke claimed that Theresa has been “brainwashed” by the MAGA movement.

“I’m not surprised that these actions occurred or that my mom was involved with it because I think at this point, all she had in her head was that whatever the president tells her is right and is what she will go along with. So I think she had in her mind this was the right thing to do,” she said.

Talking about her move of outing her mother on social media, she said: “At first I was kind of uneasy about it, but I think it was definitely so hypocritical of her to end up kicking me out of the house for going to peaceful protests because she assumed they’d be violent, and then end up going to this, which was obviously a very violent attack on the Capitol — and end up harassing a cop,” she said.

As soon as the news made its way to social media, people started praising Helena for her move, as one user said, "Holy sh*t, you "this youd" your mother. @duke_helena you are a goddamn treasure." While another one said, "Bless you, Helena Duke, for standing up for yourself. Powerful. Proud of your strength." 

Extending love, one user wrote, "@duke_helena the world needs more bravery in their souls & youve shown us how to do it. Spread your love &positivity far and wide! Thank u for taking the higher road&being an awesome person. Our doors are open for you if you ever need a bed, a hug, a good chat, or a cooked meal."

Another one said, "@duke_helena thank you for being a great ally. You SLAYED this one sis. Keep on fighting that toxic energy and supporting #blm. #doyou and live unapologetically for humanity."

Writer Eric Haywood also appreciated her and said, "Well this just might be the wildest sh*t I’ve seen all day, and that’s saying something."

Meanwhile, some slammed her and said, "Stupid kid ruined her family's life... That'll teach them to send anymore offspring to public schools. They're turning our kids into COMMIES!!! Had she done that in China (or America in about a year or so) they'd be dead. Get ready for the camps MAGA - It's coming!!"