Rob Schneider accused of 'whitesplaining' the Civil Rights movement to one of its leaders

Comedian Rob Schneider wasn't prepared for the wrath of Twitter. Photo / Supplied

Rob Schneider has felt the wrath of the internet today after fans say he "whitesplained" the American Civic Rights movement to a man who was a leader in it.

Rep. John Lewis was one of the "Big Six" Civil Rights leaders - alongside Martin Luther King Jr - and one of the 13 original Freedom Riders who rode segregated buses to challenge the very notion of them.

After Lewis said he was boycotting Donald Trump's inauguration because he isn't a "legitimate president", Schneider took to Twitter to share some words of advice.

He wrote: "Rep. Lewis. You are a great person. But Dr. King didn't give in to his anger or his hurt. That is how he accomplished & won Civil Rights."

The Twitter community immediately pounced on the Deuce Bigalow star in the most hilarious way:

"Shouts to you for making The Hot Chick but maybe don't explain the struggle for civil rights to people who were actually in it," one user wrote.

Another added, "Take heed, @repjohnlewis. If there's anyone still alive who would know what Dr. King was really like, it's @robschneider."

Wow Rob Schneider really brought this gif to life with a single tweet pic.twitter.com/eml03h5XTi

— 🇭🇹The Actual🇭🇹 (@BosNaud) January 16, 2017

Rob Schneider lecturing @repjohnlewis is the most embarrassing thing he's ever done. Yes, this includes The Animal.

— Wil Wheaton (@wilw) January 16, 2017

shouts to you for making The Hot Chick but maybe don't explain the struggle for civil rights to people who were actually in it

— Richard Lawler (@rjcc) January 16, 2017

Schneider hasn't yet directly responded to the criticisms but did post a quote which read: "Patriotism is a love of country. But you can't love your country without loving your countrymen and countrywomen.

"We don't always have to agree, but we must empower each other, we must find the common ground, we must build bridges across our differences to pursue the common good. Now is a good time to love your countrymen and countrywomen."