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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Lifestyle
Jacob Stolworthy

Capitol riots: The Simpsons eerily predicted incident in 1996

Photograph: Fox

The Simpsons has a history of somehow predicting moments from the future, and the Capitol riots were no different.

Days after Donald Trump supporters stormed the building in an attempt to prevent Joe Biden’s presidency from being certified, one scene is being highlighted from a season seven episode of the long-running animated show.

The episode, titled “The Day the Violence Died”, follows Bart as he meets the penniless creator of the animated character Itchy, who sues for restitution.

One scene around the 16-minute mark shows Bart and Lisa watching The Krusty the Clown Show, which introduces a new cartoon in place of Itchy and Scratchy after it’s taken off the air.

The cartoon features an anthropomorphic amendment waiting to be ratified by Congress. It’s shown to be sitting on the steps of the Capitol in Washington DC.

“I’m an amendment to be and I’m hoping that they’ll ratify me,” it sings to a child to the tune of Schoolhouse Rock’s “I’m Just a Bill”.

It then threatens to “crush all opposition” if the amendment is not passed.

“There’s a lot of flag-burners who have got too much freedom,” it continues, adding: “I want to make a deal for policemen to beat them.”

At this point, a member of Congress runs out of the Capitol to announce the amendment has indeed been passed, to which it gleefully stands up and shouts: “Oh yeah – doors open, boys.”

It then shows several other characters running up the Capitol steps, firing guns and holding bombs with their fuses lit while whooping for joy.

‘The Simpsons’ featured a scene of violence at the Capitol in 1996 (20th Century Fox)

This episode, which was highlighted on Twitter by Francis Creaven, was first broadcast on 17 March 1996.

Fans of The Simpsons also believe that the cartoon predicted the coronavirus outbreak back in 1993.

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