Allcountriesmatter

2015hashtagsemi-active

#AllCountriesMatter is a satirical hashtag that parodies the "All Lives Matter" response to Black Lives Matter. It gained major traction in July 2020 when Twitter users coordinated to trend the hashtag on Fourth of July to mock American exceptionalism.

Overview

#AllCountriesMatter is a satirical Twitter hashtag that applies the logic of "All Lives Matter" to countries instead of people. The joke works by pointing out how absurd it would be to respond to Fourth of July celebrations with "but what about other countries?" in the same way people respond to Black Lives Matter with "all lives matter"1. The hashtag uses this parallel to highlight what critics see as the bad-faith nature of the All Lives Matter argument.

The format typically involves users posting on or around July 4th with flags from various nations, scenic photos from around the world, or ironic statements about American exceptionalism10. Some users share actual country photos and cultural content, while others lean into the absurdist humor by including fictional countries or making exaggerated claims about celebrating "all" nations equally. The hashtag functions both as political commentary and as a form of coordinated trolling aimed at those who take issue with Black Lives Matter4.

How It Spread

The hashtag saw sporadic use through 2015 and 2016, including a 2016 tweet from @ikirigin featuring Rudy Giuliani in a "Make Mexico Great Again" hat with the caption "wtf is he saying that Mexico matters more than other countries? #AllCountriesMatter"3. But the real explosion came in summer 2020 during heightened Black Lives Matter protests.

On June 4th, 2020, Twitter user @waveyemma proposed making #AllCountriesMatter trend on Independence Day with the tweet "can we all collectively agree to piss off the republicans and make 'all countries matter' trend on july 4th." The post received over 571,000 likes and 145,000 retweets4. Influencer Brittany Broski (@brittany_broski) amplified the call on July 2nd, telling followers to "trend TF out of #AllCountriesMatter on the 4th" and framing it as speaking to opponents "in language that THEY'LL understand"5.

The coordinated push worked. On July 4th, 2020, the hashtag trended at number one on Twitter11. User @jdwitherspoon posted a string of flag emojis with "Happy #AllCountriesMatter Day!" earning over 18,000 likes7. The trend also crossed over to Reddit, where a post on r/BlackPeopleTwitter gained over 58,000 upvotes8. Media coverage from Complex noted users were sharing "gorgeous photos from around the globe" while others posted about slavery, genocide, and racial injustice as counterpoints to celebrating American "freedom"10.

Frequently Asked Questions