The best (and worst) Twitter reactions to Justin Trudeau’s pointy elbows

The last 24 hours have been full of apologies for Justin Trudeau. First, there was a formal apology for the 1914 Komagata Maru incident, during which hundreds of South Asian refugees were denied entry to Canada.

Hours later, that important and long-awaited moment was completely overshadowed by Trudeau’s elbow, with which he apparently jabbed NDP MP Ruth Ellen Brosseau as he was trying to marshal the House of Commons for a vote on the government’s assisted-dying bill. Brosseau says she found the unwanted elbow contact so unsettling that she had to leave the chamber and miss the vote. The news media found the breach of legislative decorum riveting.

Trudeau’s other alleged crimes: grabbing opposition whip Gord Brown by the elbow, and saying the word “fuck.” Here is actual video footage of history’s greatest monster, in action.

Here's a look at kerfuffle in House of Commons today. @JustinTrudeau apologized after being accused of elbowing MP pic.twitter.com/HhfQ74yU9W

— Chloé Fedio (@cfedio) May 18, 2016

Obviously, Twitter was in an uproar.

The Prime Minister apologized following the incident and again this morning, saying he shouldn’t have crossed the floor, grabbed Brown, or made physical contact with Brosseau.

My intervention in the House yesterday was not appropriate, and shouldn’t have happened.

— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) May 19, 2016

Members rightfully expect better behaviour from anyone in this House. I expect better of myself.

— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) May 19, 2016

People using the #ElbowGate hashtag seemed mostly convinced the incident was blown out of proportion.

What the #elbowgate is all about: pic.twitter.com/0miwRH4Xc1

— Nathanaël Poli (@NathanaelPoli) May 19, 2016

FOR REFERENCE: THIS IS WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE WHEN YOU ARE ACTUALLY BEING "MANHANDLED" #ElbowGate #Trudeau pic.twitter.com/kaRJFPdsDu

— The Annoying Peasant (@FakeStuartB) May 19, 2016

Whatever. Part Tres#ElbowGate #Trudeau pic.twitter.com/tpdKdzK6fS

— Andy Bowers (@evilpez4) May 18, 2016

SOMEONE BUMPED INTO SOMEONE ELSE AND NOW CANADIAN POLITICS IS IN CHAOS: https://t.co/RwWtI8SWnR

— Paul Dean (@paullicino) May 19, 2016

Everybody talking about #elbowgate
Nobody talking about the assisted dying bill.

— Ziya Tong (@ziyatong) May 19, 2016

When can we get past #elbowgate and return to the pointless bickering on matters of national importance? #cdnpoli

— Stephen Lautens (@stephenlautens) May 19, 2016

I'm ready to move on to the next faux-crisis #elbowgate

— Mike Sloan (@mikelondoncan) May 19, 2016

Accidentally elbowed the shark while jumping it. https://t.co/9MeqaqPLbC

— Taylor Lambert (@TS_Lambert) May 19, 2016

And the jokes came thick and fast.

Move over, burnt toast.#Trudeau #ElbowGate pic.twitter.com/vMXed0Vex4

— Andy Bowers (@evilpez4) May 19, 2016

Is it time to ban fighting in Parliament?

— Andrew Coyne (@acoyne) May 19, 2016

You can call it #elbowgate, but @JustinTrudeau has nothing on the #MachoMan pic.twitter.com/3zK2Gj2J8H

— Barrie Wrestling (@BarrieWrestling) May 18, 2016

Have you been injured by Justin Trudeau Parliamentary accident? Call 1-800-SUEJTNOW. #cdnpoli #houseofcommons #elbowgate

— The Beaverton (@TheBeaverton) May 19, 2016

Someday, we'll be telling our children where we were at the exact moment we learned the PM elbowed Ruth Ellen Brosseau #elbowgate #cdnpoli

— Aaron Wudrick (@awudrick) May 19, 2016

Some people aligned with the opposition parties thought Trudeau should be punished, not surprisingly.

Sad day for parliament

— Dean Del Mastro (@delmastrodean) May 19, 2016

So Justin Trudeau's increasingly dictatorial conduct has now turned into physical bullying of MPs. Bizarre, unforgivable, unprecedented.

— Jason Kenney (@jkenney) May 18, 2016

If Stephen Harper had ever physically bullied MPs like Justin Trudeau, there would be immediate & widespread demands for his resignation.

— Jason Kenney (@jkenney) May 18, 2016

But some really did think Trudeau crossed the line.

Justin Trudeau shows his feminist side by elbowing female MPs in the chest. What a shameful ass. #cdnpoli

— Barbara Myska (@bmyska) May 18, 2016

I learned how to treat women from my feminist friend.#elbowgate pic.twitter.com/0io4CbsvzU

— PM Turdeau (@turdeau) May 19, 2016

Trudeau Offers To Let Brosseau Elbow Him Once In The Gut Really Hard Just So We're Square #futureheadlines

— Aaron Wudrick (@awudrick) May 19, 2016

In case you were wondering, here is Stephen #Harper's reaction in the immediate aftermath of the scuffle. #elbowgate pic.twitter.com/3wGCmhPuTg

— Haydn Watters (@HaydnWatters) May 19, 2016

The last word, however, goes to the guy who went ahead and proved Godwin’s Law.