Jill Stein releases statement about Harambe; Internet unsurprisingly freaks out

Green Party candidate Jill Stein reached peak 2016 internet on Sunday when she released a statement about dead gorilla and current meme Harambe.

“The Green Party believes that captivity for such entertainment is ethically wrong and fundamentally exploitative and should be illegal,” the statement says. It continues:

Other countries, especially in Europe, have begun to provide legal rights and protected status to primates as living beings. Non human primates should have the legal right to live freely or, when necessary, in sanctuaries only for medical rehabilitation or ecological assistance for endangered species.

The reason for the statement was allegedly to honor the 3-month anniversary of the gorilla’s death, although the Cincinnati Zoo has deleted its Twitter account and asked people to stop discussing the gorilla’s death online.

Two weeks ago, Stein was polling about even with Harambe in Texas, each holding 2% of the vote.

This, of course, did not stop the internet from freaking out.