"She should be serving a life sentence for treason": Jane Fonda traitor claim goes viral in wake of white men rant

American actress Jane Fonda was slammed online after she claimed that climate change is due to racism and white men. While speaking during this year's Cannes Film Festival on May 27, the 85-year-old personality made some controversial comments, stating:

"This is serious. We’ve got about seven, eight years to cut ourselves in half of what we use of fossil fuels, and unfortunately, the people that have the least responsibility for it are hit the hardest — Global South, people on islands, poor people of color. It is a tragedy that we have to absolutely stop. We have to arrest and jail those men — they’re all men [behind this]."

While answering a question from one of the attendees, Fonda continued justfying her claims that climate change couldn't exist without perfect conditions.

"It’s good for us all to realize, there would be no climate crisis if there was no racism. There would be no climate crisis if there was no patriarchy. A mindset that sees things in a hierarchical way. White men are the things that matter and then everything else [is] at the bottom."

However, Jane Fonda's claims that climate change would not have existed without racism and white men did not sit right with many users calling her a "traitor," and one of them commenting:

Screenshot of a Twitter user remarking on Jane Fonda's comments during Cannes Film Festival. (Image via @clovis1931/Twitter)

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Why is Jane Fonda called "Hanoi Jane?"

Jane Fonda has received severe backlash on opposing the Vietnam War. In 1970, Fonda formed the “Free Army Tour” (FTA) alongside actor Donald Sutherland. The FTA show was created as a counterpoint to Bob Hope's USO tour, which involved visiting military bases on the West Coast and engaging with soldiers prior to their deployment to Vietnam. Its primary objective was to protest against the war.

At the time, Fonda had become a recognizable figure, having acted in films like Barefoot in the Park, They Shoot Horses Don’t They?, Klute, and Barbarella.

In 1972, Fonda embarked on a tour of North Vietnam, which became the most controversial moment of her activist career and earned her the moniker "Hanoi Jane."

During her time in Vietnam, Fonda spoke out against the US military's stance in Vietnam and begged pilots to stop attacking non-military targets. During that trip, a photograph was shot of her sitting atop an anti-aircraft gun in Hanoi, making it seem as though she was about to fire down American planes.

At the time, American officials and war veterans were very upset by Fonda's public comments about the U.S. government. Some politicians, according to the Washington Post, thought her protests were traitorous, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars said Fonda should be tried as a traitor. At one point, Maryland state lawmakers thought about putting a ban on her and her movies.

Fonda has repeatedly apologized for her picture, stating that her comments were never against the soldiers but the government. In 2015, she released a statement, as per Frederick News-Post that read:

“Whenever possible I try to sit down with vets and talk with them, because I understand and it makes me sad. It hurts me and it will to my grave that I made a huge, huge mistake that made a lot of people think I was against the soldiers. I’m a lightning rod. This famous person goes and does something that looks like I’m against the troops, which wasn’t true, but it looked that way, and I’m a convenient target. So, I understand.”

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Twitter calls Jane Fonda "traitor" after her latest viral speech

After Jane Fonda's reason of why climate change is taking place went viral, Twitteratis were furious. Several users called her a "traitor" and "Hanoi Jane" and slammed her for making baseless comments.

Others demanded her to be put in jail and called her "insane" for making these remarks.

Screenshot of a Twitter user remarking on Fonda's comments.

Screenshot of a Twitter user remarking on Fonda's comments.

Screenshot of a Twitter user remarking on Fonda's comments. (Image via @FemalesForTrump/Twitter)

As of writing, Fonda has not responded to the backlash received online for her comments on climate change.