Tag: George Floyd

  • The late George Floyd’s life to be documented in a biopic

    The late George Floyd’s life to be documented in a biopic

    An upcoming biopic titled “Daddy Changed the World” is set to document the life and tragic murder of George Floyd.

    This film, announced by Deadline, will be brought to the big screen by production companies Radar Pictures, 8 Queens Media, and Night Fox Entertainment.

    Executive producers include Floyd’s daughter, Gianna, and her mother, Roxie Washington.

    The biopic, although yet to announce a director, has screenwriter Gregory R. Anderson (known for “Stomp the Yard”) attached.

    It aims to portray not just Floyd’s life story but also his unjust death in 2020 at the hands of former officer Derek Chauvin, sparking a global protest movement.

    Floyd’s final words, “I can’t breathe,” have since become a rallying cry for the Black Lives Matter movement.

    The film promises to be a gritty drama, delving into Floyd’s personal journey and the impact of his death on his community and the world.

    Roxie Washington expressed excitement about the project, stating, “We are excited the world will see the real, jovial, and loving George we know.

    This film will humanize him, embody the essence of his life, and hopefully reignite efforts to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.”

    Washington emphasized the urgency of change, saying, “We need to make changes swiftly. No other child should lose their father like Gianna did.” The film aims to honor Floyd’s legacy and keep his memory alive while advocating for justice and equality.

  • Colorado officer jailed for killing 23-year-old

    Colorado officer jailed for killing 23-year-old

    A white ex-police officer in Colorado has been given a 14-month prison sentence for the 2019 killing of a black man.

    41-year-old Randy Roedema was found to be responsible for the death of Elijah McClain in October.

    McClain, who was 23 years old, was held by the police and given a medicine called ketamine by a medic. He died after that, even though he had not done anything wrong.

    The judge said he was surprised by the lack of care for McClain’s pain.

    Another police officer, Jason Rosenblatt, was found not guilty of the same charges last year.

    Both men were charged with using too much force and not listening to the unarmed man who kept saying, “I can’t breathe. ”

    McClain died in Aurora, near Denver, three days after the police put him in a chokehold, injected him with ketamine to make him calm, and his heart stopped beating.

    At the Colorado court on Friday, Judge Mark Werner said he was surprised by the lack of care for Elijah McClain‘s pain.

    McClain was not a big threat to anyone and was restrained with handcuffs, according to Werner.

    Roedema told the judge that he and the other officers acted the way they were trained to.

    McClain’s death got more attention again after George Floyd was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 2020.

    Before Elijah’s punishment, his mother Sheneen McClain said Roedema will always be a bully who has a badge.
    A gathering was held to ask for fairness for Elijah McClain on the one year anniversary of his passing.

  • Derek Chauvin stabbed while incarcerated – US media reports

    Derek Chauvin stabbed while incarcerated – US media reports

    Minneapolis ex-cop Derek Chauvin, sentenced in the homicide of George Floyd, has been cut at an Arizona jail, US media reports say.

    A source told AP the 47-year-old was truly harmed by another detainee.

    The New York Times, refering to two individuals with information on the circumstance, likewise announced that he was gone after.

    Chauvin, who is white, is carrying out various punishments for the person of color’s demise, which set off enormous fights against police fierceness and prejudice.

    The Department of Penitentiaries affirmed in an explanation that a detainee at a government jail in the city of Tucson was cut at 12:30 nearby time (19:30 GMT) on Friday.

    The office said workers contained the episode and “life-saving measures” were performed on the detainee, who was then taken to emergency clinic. The name of the detainee was not given.

    No other individual is remembered to have been harmed and Chauvin is accounted for to have endure the assault.

    The detailed occurrence comes days after the High Court dismissed his allure, in which it was contended that he had not gotten a fair preliminary for the killing of Mr Floyd – who kicked the bucket after Chauvin stooped on his neck for over nine minutes in 2020.

    The killing – caught on an observer’s telephone camera – started worldwide shock and a rush of shows against racial bad form and police utilization of power.

    Chauvin was subsequently viewed as at fault for Mr Floyd’s homicide and condemned to 22 years in jail. He was given a further 20-year sentence in July 2022 for disregarding Mr Floyd’s social liberties.

  • George Floyd murderer given a three and half year jail sentence for manslaughter

    In order to make up for his involvement in George Floyd’s murder, a former Minneapolis police officer who knelt on Mr. Floyd’s back received a three-and-a-half year prison term.

    In October, J Alexander Kueng entered a guilty plea to a state charge of second-degree manslaughter aiding and abetting.

    In the 46-year-arrest, old’s which was seen on camera by onlookers, he was one of four officers involved.

    Mr Floyd was killed by police in May 2020 while lying prone and handcuffed.

    His death sparked global outrage and a wave of demonstrations against racial injustice and police use of force.

    Kueng will serve his new sentence for state charges concurrently with a previous federal sentence for violating Mr Floyd’s civil rights.

    In April 2021, former police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted on state murder and manslaughter charges for kneeling on Mr Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes and sentenced to 22-and-a-half years in jail. He is serving that sentence concurrently with a 20-year sentence on federal civil rights charges, for which he pleaded guilty in December 2021.

    In February, Kueng, along with two other responding officers, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao, were also found guilty on federal civil rights charges. The officers were charged with showing “deliberate indifference to [Mr Floyd’s] serious medical needs” during the attempted arrest.

    Video footage of the arrest shows Kueng and Lane assisting Chauvin by helping to hold Mr Floyd down. Thao, meanwhile, kept concerned bystanders away. Chauvin was a field training officer to both Lane and Kueng.

    As well as Chauvin, the other officers involved were given sentences of varying lengths for the federal charges:

    • J Alexander Kueng was given a 36-month sentence for failing to intervene
    • Tou Thao was sentenced to 42-months in prison. The state case against him is still pending.
    • Thomas Lane is serving a two-and-a-half year sentence concurrently with a three-year state sentence for second-degree manslaughter.

    Speaking in court ahead of the sentencing, prosecutor Matthew Frank said that Kueng “was not simply a bystander in what happened that day”, but instead played an “active part”.

    While Kueng declined to address the court directly, his defence attorney, Thomas Plunkett, argued that city and police officials had “failed” Mr Floyd, Kueng and the community alike.

    Attorneys representing George Floyd’s family said that the sentencing represented “yet another piece of justice for the Floyd family”.

    “While the family faces yet another holiday season without George, we hope that moments like these continue to bring them a measure of peace, knowing that George’s death was not in vain,” they added.

     

  • George Floyd’s family to sue Kanye over claims his death was caused by overdose

    The family of George Floyd’s family has disclosed plans to sue Kanye West for suggesting Floyd’s brutal and caught-on-camera death under the knee of a Minnesota cop was really due to a fentanyl overdose.

    According to New York Post, during an appearance on the Drink Champs podcast on Sunday, West, who has legally changed his name to Ye, continued his ongoing spree of controversial statements amid his antisemitism and “White Lives Matter” backlash.

    Speaking with Drink Champs hosts N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN, West spoke about watching Candace Owens’ new documentary, titled ‘The Greatest Lie Ever Sold’, claimed Floyd died as a result of having taken fentanyl, a synthetic opioid used as a pain medication and noted for its potency.

    “They hit Floyd with the fentanyl, If you look, the guy’s knee wasn’t even on his neck like that, they said he screamed for his mama; mama was his girlfriend. It’s in the documentary” he said.

    Reacting to the alleged accusation, civil rights attorney Lee Merritt on his Twitter, confirmed late Sunday that the family of the deceased is considering suiting Kanye for false statements.

    He wrote, “Members of the Floyd family contacted me distraught over the reprehensible remarks.”

    “While one cannot defame the dead, the family of #GeorgeFloyd is considering suit for Kanye’s false statements about the manner of his death.”

    “Claiming Floyd died from fentanyl, not the brutality established criminally and civilly undermines & diminishes the Floyd family’s fight.”

    Candace Owens on October 12 finally released her scathing documentary that allegedly reveals some shocking details behind the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020.

    The controversial commentator’s new film,’ The Greatest Lie Ever Sold’ shares the story of George Floyd a Black man who died while being restrained by then Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in May 2020. His death sparked global protests and debates about racial injustice and police brutality.

    The death of Floyd drew nationwide outrage after a video circulated online showing Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes as he gasped for breath.

    Source: vanguardngr.com

  • Kanye addresses Antisemitic remarks, incorrectly says George Floyd died from Fentanyl in ‘Drink Champs’ interview

    Nearly a year after he first appeared on Drink ChampsKanye West returned to the show this week to discuss a variety of topics with N.O.R.E. and DJ EFN.

     

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    A post shared by Drink Champs (@drinkchamps)

    One of the clips from the episode that’s resulted in backlash sees Kanye discussing George Floyd, who West incorrectly claims died of a drug overdose. While referencing Candace Owens’ new documentary, “The Greatest Lie Ever Sold: George Floyd and the Rise of BLM,” Ye attempted to tie Floyd’s death to fentanyl. Floyd’s death was of course, ruled a homicide, and his killer, Derek Chauvin remains in prison.

    “If you look, the guy’s knee wasn’t even on his neck like that,” Kanye said.

    Though Floyd’s autopsy found fentanyl in his system, medical experts determined it wasn’t enough to be considered fatal.

    Elsewhere in the episode, Kanye mentioned how his Drink Champs viewership did better than Kim’s SNL episode when she hosted. He also called Drake “the greatest rapper ever.”

    The interview with Ye was pushed back several hours last night, but later went live on the Revolt app. They added a disclaimer this time: “All views or opinions expressed during the Podcast are solely those of the individuals expressing such view or opinion and does not reflect the views or opinions of Sean Combs, Revolt Media & TV LLC, or their respective parent and/or affiliate companies.”

    In the sneak preview, Ye talked about Virgil Abloh, Mav Carter blocking his interview on The Shop, and Bad Bunny.

    The episode arrives as Kanye has been embroiled in controversy.

    Earlier this month, Kanye experienced backlash after wearing a t-shirt with the phrase “White Lives Matter” during his YZY SZN 9 presentation that took place in Paris. The Chicago artist subsequently doubled down, calling Black Lives Matter a “scam.” He has since been ripped by countless critics, including Diddy, Boosie Badazz, and Jaden Smith, among others.

    Throughout the interview, Ye continues speaking about Jewish people, most notably Dov Charney—the Los Angeles Apparel founder, who printed Kanye’s controversial White Lives Matter tees. According to Ye, Charney, who is Jewish, refuses to release the shirts after West’s “Death con 3 on Jewish People” tweet. Charney encouraged West to visit the Holocaust Museum, to which West told him to visit Planned Parenthood, “our Holocaust Museum.”

    West also claims the four concerts he had booked at Los Angeles’ So-Fi Stadium were canceled by the stadium owners following his Death Con 3 tweet.

    Ye then accused Bernard Arnault, CEO of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, of killing Virgil, who died in November 2021 after a battle with cancer. Shortly after posting the rant on social media, Tremaine Emory, Supreme’s creative director, urged the rapper to not use the Virgil’s name as part of his “victim campaign” and alleged that Ye “rode on [Abloh] in group chats” and elsewhere.

    Emory then shared a screenshot of Ye’s Instagram post about YZY SZN 9 from earlier in the day in which he proposed discussing “more important things like how late the show was or how Bernard Arnault killed my best friend.” Arnault, notably, is the CEO at LVMH.

    In his caption, Emory urged Ye to not use the late Virgil Abloh’s name as part of his “victim campaign” and alleged that Ye “rode on [Abloh] in group chats” and elsewhere.

    “Ye tell the ppl why you didn’t get invited to Virgil’s actual funeral the one before the public one at the museum,” Emory, the founder of Denim Tears and Supreme’s current creative director, said.

    “You knew Virgil had terminal cancer and you rode on him in group chats, at yeezy, interviews…YOU ARE SO BROKEN. KEEP VIRGIL NAME OUT YOUR MOUTH.”

    Source: Complex.com

  • Stephen Jackson blasts Kanye West over George Floyd comments

    Former NBA player Stephen Jackson slammed Kanye West for his comments about George Floyd.

    During an appearance on the latest episode of Drink Champs, Ye incorrectly claimed that Floyd died of a fentanyl overdose. “If you look, the guy’s knee wasn’t even on his neck like that,” Kanye said, referring to ex-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was convicted of murdering Floyd.

    Jackson took to Instagram on Sunday to rip Kanye’s remarks as “clout chasing.” The All The Smoke host posted a short clip in which he indirectly criticizes West, among others, for taking advantage of Floyd’s death by “dissing” him.

    “It’s all noted,” he captioned the clip. “To say u a Legend in music @kanyewest it’s sad that u still gotta talk about other people lives to be relevant is wack. Its really sad u doing all this over some ‘Pussy.’ Tender dick ass n***a.”

    Jackson isn’t the only one who called out Kanye speaking about Floyd.

    Boosie Badazz also hopped on social media Sunday to blast West in a pair of tweets.

    “@kanyewest the hatred you have for Blacks is sad,” Boosie wrote. “N they still support your coon ass. First Slavery was a choice, white lives matter, now George Floyd etc.N it’s sad that Blacks with a platform ain’t telling u shit for attacking our race like u do.”

    Source: Complex.com

  • George Floyd’s family reportedly mulling Lawsuit against Kanye West

    The artist formerly known as Kanye West could face a lawsuit from the family of George Floyd for spreading the incorrect and unproven narrative that he died of a drug overdose during his wildly controversial Drink Champs podcast appearance.

    Civil rights attorney Lee Merritt posted on Twitter Sunday that a lawsuit against Ye is under consideration based on the disgraced artist’s “false statements about the manner of his death.”

    Ye cited Candace Owens’ latest documentary about Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement to support his claim that fentanyl contributed to his death. Considering West previously admitted he hasn’t “read any book,” one can almost assume he didn’t read about the independent autopsy which found that Floyd died from “asphyxia due to sustained forceful pressure.”

    It’s also likely West didn’t read about Dr. Martin Tobin, an expert in the physiology of breathing, testifying that Floyd died from a lack of oxygen due to the positioning of the victim’s body, which brought about the actions of former Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin. A jury of 12 individuals found Chauvin guilty of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter, based on the evidence presented, Dr. Tobin’s testimony included.

    Stephen Jackson, former NBA player and friend of Floyd, posted a video in response to West’s remarks earlier today, imploring West to talk to those who actually knew him, instead of believing “clout chasers” who have made a living off of dishonoring Floyd’s name.

    Source: Complex.com

  • Former Cop Thomas Lane gets 3-year sentence for State Charge in George Floyd’s murder

    Thomas Lane has been sentenced to three years behind bars on a state charge in connection with the 2020 murder of George Floyd.

    Per a report from the Associated Press, Lane—a former Minneapolis cop—was sentenced during a remote hearing on Wednesday after previously pleading guilty to aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter. The three-year sentence marks an agreement between state prosecutors and Lane’s legal team.

    “I am pleased Thomas Lane has accepted responsibility for his role in Floyd’s death,” Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said of Lane’s plea deal in May. “His acknowledgment he did something wrong is an important step toward healing the wounds of the Floyd family, our community, and the nation.”

    Lane was previously sentenced to two and a half years at the federal level in July following his conviction of violating Floyd’s constitutional rights.

    Source: Complex.com

  • George Floyd protests: Brother makes impassioned plea to UN

    The brother of George Floyd, whose death last month triggered mass anti-racism protests, has asked the UN to investigate the killing of black people at the hands of US police.

    Philonise Floyd told the UN Human Rights Council the whole world saw how his brother was tortured and killed.

    He said this proved that black lives did not matter in the US.

    UN Human Rights chief Michelle Bachelet criticised the “gratuitous brutality” of Mr Floyd’s death.

    She said the protests were the “culmination of many generations of pain”.

    Ms Bachelet, a former president of Chile, also urged countries to confront the legacy of slavery and colonialism, and to make reparations.

    Mr Floyd died after a white police officer in Minneapolis knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes. The killing spurred global protests led by the Black Lives Matter movement.

    In a separate development on Wednesday, US Senate Republicans unveiled a proposal for police reform, which would discourage tactics like the chokehold that killed Mr Floyd but it stopped short of an outright ban.

    It follows a more radical measure proposed by House Democrats earlier in the month, which would include a ban.

    ‘Tortured and murdered’

    George Floyd’s brother called on UN officials to set up an independent commission to investigate the deaths of African Americans in US police custody, as well as violence against peaceful protesters.

    He was speaking by video link at a debate convened by African countries at the human rights council’s headquarters in Geneva.

    “The way you saw my brother tortured and murdered on camera is the way black people are treated by police in America,” he said.

    “You in the United Nations are your brothers’ and sisters’ keepers in America, and you have the power to help us get justice for my brother George Floyd.

    “I am asking you to help him. I am asking you to help me. I am asking you to help us black people in America.”

    He also denounced police treatment of people involved in the protests which swept the US in the weeks after his brother’s death.

    “When people dared to raise their voice and protest for my brother they were tear-gassed, run over with police vehicles,” he said.

    The BBC’s Imogen Foulkes in Geneva says it is unclear whether the demand for an official investigation will get enough support to be approved.

    The Trump administration pulled the US out of the council two years ago and does not attend its meetings, but our correspondent says some countries are understood to be reluctant to back an inquiry which so clearly singles out the US.

    Source: bbc.com

  • George Floyd: Trump ‘generally’ supports ending chokeholds for police

    US President Donald Trump has said the controversial chokehold method for restraining some suspects should “generally speaking” be ended.

    Some US police forces have moved to ban chokeholds since the outbreak of anti-racism protests sparked by the death of George Floyd, an African American.

    Mr Floyd died after a white officer knelt on his neck for nine minutes.

    Mr Trump said it would be a “very good thing” to ban chokeholds but they may still be needed in some situations.

    The president’s comments come with Democrats and Republicans in the US Congress trying to hammer out the details of a police reform bill – the proposed Justice in Policing Act of 2020.

    Mr Trump told Fox News that the concept of stopping police forces using chokeholds sounded “so innocent, so perfect”.

    But he continued: “If a police officer is in a bad scuffle and he’s got somebody… you have to be careful.

    “With that being said, it would be, I think, a very good thing that generally speaking it should be ended,” he said, adding that he might make “very strong recommendations” to local authorities.

    The police officer who knelt on Mr Floyd’s neck has been sacked and charged with second-degree murder.

    Pressure for US police reform Mr Trump – who has faced criticism for his responses to the outbreak of the protests against racism and police brutality – said he wanted to “see really compassionate but strong law enforcement”, adding “toughness is sometimes the most compassionate”.

    Challenged by interviewer Harris Faulkner to explain his tweet last month that “when the looting starts, the shooting starts”, which was censored by Twitter for glorifying violence, the president said: “When the looting starts, it oftentimes means there’s going to be… sure, there’s going to be death, there’s going to be killing. And, it’s a bad thing.”

    The Justice in Policing Act was proposed by the opposition Democrats who control the House of Representatives but in order to pass it must win the support of Mr Trump’s Republicans who control the Senate.

    There is potential for the two parties to reach agreement on banning chokeholds and no-knock warrants, like the one in the Breonna Taylor shooting.

    Meanwhile, the city council in Minneapolis, where Mr Floyd died, passed a resolution on Friday to replace its police department with a community-led public safety system.

    It comes days after the council voted to disband the police department.

    According to the resolution, the city council will begin a year-long process of engaging “with every willing community member in Minneapolis” to come up with a new public safety model.

    In New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo has ordered police departments to undertake major reforms, in response to the demonstrations.

    Mr Cuomo said he would stop financing local authorities that failed to adopt reforms addressing excess use of force and bias in their police departments by next April.

    He said he would sign an executive order for municipalities to “reinvent and modernize” their police departments to battle racism. Police disciplinary records would be publicly released and chokeholds would become a felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison.

    “That should be done in every police agency in this country,” Mr Cuomo was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency.

    Sitting alongside the governor at the news conference were Gwen Carr and Valerie Bell, the mothers of Eric Garner and Sean Bell, two unarmed black men who died in incidents with police.

    Mr Garner died when a white police officer used a chokehold on him while making an arrest in 2014.

    Source: BBC

  • George Floyd: Ernesto Yeboah released from Police custody

    The leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters Ernesto Yeboah who was arrested at a George Floyd inspired protest has been released from Police custody.

    He was released after finally meeting his bail conditions after spending two days in custody over failure to meet the conditions.

    In a Facebook post, the group said: Fellow Fighters CiC Ernesto Yeboah has finally been released after spending more than 30 hours in police custody since the court granted him bail. The struggle continues. Victory will be ours. We keep fighting. Until economic freedom is achieved”.

    He was arrested by security operatives at the Black Star Square in Accra last week Saturday for organizing a vigil against police brutalities against Blacks in America in the wake of George Floyd murder.

    Source: Starr FM

  • George Floyd: Microsoft bars facial recognition sales to police

    Microsoft has become the latest US company to limit the use of its facial recognition technology by police.

    The firm said it would not start sales to US police departments until the country approves national regulation of the technology, which critics say is racially biased and easy to abuse.

    Amazon and IBM have already made similar moves.

    These followed widespread protests over police brutality and racial discrimination.

    Amazon on Wednesday banned police from using its tech for one year, while IBM earlier said it would stop offering the technology for “mass surveillance or racial profiling”.

    The American Civil Liberties Union has campaigned against such software for years, warning there is a danger it will be used for widespread “suspicionless” surveillance.

    “Microsoft, Amazon, and IBM have finally started to take action. But we still have a long way to go to forever end the over-policing and surveillance of black and brown communities,” the organisation said in a statement.

    It called on US lawmakers to order an immediate “pause” on law enforcement use of the technology.

    Federal vs local

    Firms have been under pressure in recent weeks to respond to the protests triggered by George Floyd’s death in police custody.

    George Floyd: Why are companies speaking up this time? Microsoft president Brad Smith said at an event that the firm had not sold to police departments and would not start “until we have a national law in place, grounded in human rights, that will govern this technology”.

    Microsoft first called for national regulation more than two years ago, warning that inaction could lead such services to “spread in ways that exacerbate societal issues”.

    Companies tend to favour national rules, rather than be forced to deal with a patchwork of local laws.

    However, there are some concerns that a national law could be a way to override stricter local regulation.

    San Francisco, for example, has already banned facial recognition technology by its police and public agencies.

    Source: bbc.com

  • George Floyd death: Gen Mark Milley sorry for joining Trump walk to church

    The top US military officer says he was wrong to have joined President Donald Trump during his controversial walk to a damaged church near the White House.

    The 1 June event created “a perception of the military involved in domestic politics”, Gen Mark Milley said.

    Mr Trump walked to the church and held up a Bible after a peaceful protest at the death of African American George Floyd was forcibly dispersed.

    The use of troops to tackle the protests has provoked fierce US debate.

    Mr Trump has regularly referred to “law and order”, calling in the National Guard to the US capital, vowing to deploy the military to other cities and condemning violent protests.

    Some of the initial protests following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis last month turned violent with looting in several cities.

    But since four police officers were charged in connection with the death, the protests have been mostly peaceful, spawning an international movement against police brutality and racial inequality.

    Video footage of the death in Minneapolis shows a white officer kneeling on Mr Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes.

    What did Gen Milley say?

    The chairman of the joint chiefs of staff was speaking in a video for a National Defense University commencement ceremony.

    He said: “I should not have been there. My presence in that moment and in that environment created a perception of the military involved in domestic politics.

    “As a commissioned uniformed officer, it was a mistake that I have learned from, and I sincerely hope we all can learn from it.”

    The general was wearing battle uniform as he walked with the president and critics said this suggested his support for the deployment of the military against protesters.

    Defence Secretary Mark Esper was also on the walk and, although he has not said he was wrong to be there, suggested in a news conference that he thought the walk was for a different purpose of mingling with troops and inspecting damage.

    Senior officials told US media that Mr Trump had yelled at Mr Esper after the conference. The president has yet to respond to Gen Milley’s comments.

    What happened on the day?

    A peaceful demonstration was cleared in Lafayette Square next to the White House with pepper spray and flash-bang grenades so that the president and his entourage could walk to St John’s Episcopal Church.

    Its basement had been burned the previous day.

    Mr Trump, who sees himself as a champion of evangelical and conservative voters, held up a Bible outside the church.

    A number of religious leaders criticised his actions. The presiding bishop of the the Episcopal Church, Michael Curry, accused Mr Trump of using the church for “partisan political purposes”.

    Mr Trump said “most religious leaders loved” his visit to the church and denied having any role in dispersing protesters beforehand.

    His latest tweet on the issue on Thursday again praised the security forces.

    Source: bbc.com

  • George Floyd’s niece: ‘This is not just murder, but a hate crime’

    Brooke Williams, the niece of George Floyd, spoke at her uncle’s funeral in Houston, Texas.

    She remembered Mr Floyd as spiritually grounded and an activist and said that ‘justice would be served’ for him as long as she is breathing.

    Ms Williams added that the laws were designed to disadvantage black people.

    Mr Floyd died in Minneapolis in May as a white police officer held a knee on his neck for nearly nine minutes.

    Derek Chauvin has made his first court appearance, where he faces charges of second-degree murder and manslaughter. Three other arresting officers are charged with aiding and abetting murder. They have all since been fired.

    Source: bbc.com

  • George Floyd’s funeral hears calls for racial justice

    The funeral of George Floyd, an African American whose death in police custody spawned global outrage, has heard impassioned pleas for racial justice.

    Speakers in the church in Houston, Texas, lined up to remember a man whose “crime was that he was born black”.

    Mr Floyd died in Minneapolis last month as a white police officer held a knee on his neck for nearly nine minutes, his final moments filmed on phones.

    Four police officers involved have been sacked and charged over his death.

    His coffin was taken from the church driven in a motorcade to the Houston Memorial Gardens where he was to be buried beside his mother.

    One of Mr Floyd’s nieces, Brooke Williams, called for a change in laws which, she argued, were designed to disadvantage black people.

    “Why must this system be corrupt and broken?” she asked. “Laws were already put in place for the African-American system to fail. And these laws need to be changed. No more hate crimes, please! Someone said ‘Make America Great Again’, but when has America ever been great?”

    Republican President Donald Trump’s Democratic opponent in the November presidential election, Joe Biden, addressed the service in a video message, saying: “When there is justice for George Floyd, we will truly be on our way to racial justice in America.”

    Mr Biden has sharply criticised Mr Trump, accusing him at the weekend of making “despicable” speculative remarks about Mr Floyd.

    But the Democratic politician was himself recently accused of taking black American votes for granted when he said African Americans “ain’t black” if they even considered voting for Mr Trump.

    What did they say at the funeral?

    The service was held at the Fountain of Praise church, attended by some 500 guests including politicians and celebrities.

    “George Floyd was not expendable – this is why we’re here,” said Al Green, the local Democratic congressman. “His crime was that he was born black.”

    Veteran civil rights activist Reverend Al Sharpton told the service: “All over the world I see grandchildren of slave masters tearing down slave masters’ statues.”

    Talking about Mr Floyd’s difficult life, he said: “God took the rejected stone and made him the cornerstone of a movement that’s gonna change the whole wide world.”

    In Minnesota, Governor Tim Walz called on people to honour the funeral by observing silence for eight minutes and 46 seconds, the time Mr Floyd was pinned to the ground before he died.

    Mr Floyd’s coffin was taken to a cemetery in Pearland, south of Houston for a private burial ceremony. For the last mile of the procession, it was conveyed in a horse-drawn carriage.

    Barriers were erected along the route to allow members of the public to pay their respects safely as the procession passes.

    His body was on display at the church for six hours on Monday.

    Memorial services were also held in Minneapolis and North Carolina, where Mr Floyd was born.

    What did Biden say about Floyd’s family?

    After visiting the family on Monday, the Democratic candidate told CBS: “His little daughter was there, the one who said ‘daddy’s going to change the world’, and I think her daddy is going to change the world.”

    “I think what happened here is one of the great inflection points in American history, for real, in terms of civil liberties, civil rights and just treating people with dignity.”

    Floyd family spokesman Benjamin Crump, who tweeted a photo of the meeting, said Mr Floyd’s relatives welcomed Mr Biden’s comments.

    “That compassion meant the world to this grieving family,” he added.

    Source: bbc.com

  • George Floyd vigil: No force applied in arrest of Ernesto Yeboah Police

    The Ghana Police Service has denied usage of force by the Police in arresting leader of the Economic Fighters League at a vigil in memory of George Floyd held last Saturday at the Black Star Square.

    Accra Regional Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Afia Tenge in an interview with ABC News noted that rather than force, the Police used appropriate and standard riot control management skills to disperse the crowd which had gathered without prior engagement with the Police.

    The Police fired warning shots to break up protesting members of the League who had gathered at the Regional Headquarters to demand the release of their Leader, Ernesto Yeboah who was earlier charged with failing to obtain a police permit for the protest on Saturday and for breaking the rules on public gatherings.

    An eyewitness, who wishes to be identified as Fatima told ABC News she had to scale a wall to escape the bullets being fired by the Police, hurting herself in the process.

    But speaking to ABC News, DSP Afia Tenge denied any allegations of the police manhandling protesters.

    “What I know is that the Police used appropriate and standard riot control management, equipment, skills and techniques to be able to get the crowd dispersed and even before that they had used engagements with the leadership and other people so I am not aware of any police manhandling anybody whatsoever,” she said.

    Source: abcnewsgh.com

  • George Floyd murder suspect to appear in court in Minnesota

    The man accused of murdering African American George Floyd, whose death sparked global protests, is to appear in court for the first time.

    Derek Chauvin, a white policeman, knelt on Mr Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes while he was being arrested in Minneapolis on 25 May.

    Mr Chauvin, who has since been sacked, will face a judge in Minnesota remotely on murder and manslaughter charges.

    Three other officers were also fired and charged with aiding and abetting.

    Mourners in Houston, Texas, where Mr Floyd lived before moving to Minneapolis, have been viewing his body, publicly on display for six hours at The Fountain of Praise church.

    On Tuesday, a private funeral service will be held in Houston. Memorial services have already been held in Minneapolis and North Carolina, where Mr Floyd was born.

    It is believed a family member escorted Mr Floyd’s body on a flight to Texas late on Saturday.

    Democratic US presidential candidate Joe Biden is expected to visit Mr Floyd’s relatives in Houston to offer his sympathies. Aides to the former vice-president said he would also record a video message for Tuesday’s service.

    What are the accusations against Chauvin?

    He faces three separate charges: unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, for which the maximum penalties are prison terms of 40, 25 and 10 years respectively.

    Further charges could be brought but it appears unlikely he will be accused of first-degree murder as prosecutors would have to prove premeditation, intent and motive, the Associated Press reports.

    By bringing multiple charges, prosecutors give jurors a choice and increase the chances of a conviction.

    Minneapolis city council has voted to ban chokeholds and neck restraints by police officers, and Democrats in Congress are expected to present sweeping legislation on police reform.

    In France, which saw Black Lives Matter protests over the weekend, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner announced that police would no longer be allowed to use chokeholds to arrest people.

    It is part of a policy of zero tolerance of racism within the French police. France’s police watchdog has revealed that there were 1,500 complaints against officers last year, half of them for alleged assaults.

    How are people in Houston mourning Floyd?

    Anti-racism protests started by Mr Floyd’s death are now entering their third week in the US. Huge rallies have been held in several cities, including Washington DC, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

    With the rallying cries “Black Lives matter” and “No Justice, No Peace”, the demonstrations are among the largest US protests against racism since the 1960s. Saturday’s gatherings included a protest in the Texas town of Vidor, once infamous as a stronghold of the Ku Klux Klan white supremacist group.

    Episodes of looting and violence have, however, been reported among the peaceful rallies, and President Donald Trump threatened to call up troops to quash the protests.

    Security measures were lifted across the US on Sunday as unrest started to ease. New York ended its nearly week-long curfew, and Mr Trump said he was ordering the National Guard to start withdrawing from Washington DC.

    Source: bbc.com

  • US police officer charged in Floyd death to appear in court

    The white police officer whose fatal arrest of George Floyd sparked mass protests for racial justice across the United States and beyond was to make his first court appearance Monday in Minneapolis, where the city council has moved to disband the police department.

    Thousands of mourners were expected to attend a memorial for the 46-year-old African American at the Fountain of Praise Church in Houston, the Texas town where he grew up and is to be buried on Tuesday next to his mother.

    Among those paying their respects will be Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his wife, Jill, who were also to meet privately with Floyd’s family.

    In Minnesota, Derek Chauvin, 44, a 19-year veteran of the Minneapolis police force, was to appear in court to face second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter charges for his role in Floyd’s May 25 death.

    Chauvin, who is seen in harrowing video footage kneeling on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes while he gasps “I can’t breathe,” could face decades behind bars if convicted.

    Three other Minneapolis police officers appeared in court last week to face a charge of aiding and abetting Floyd’s murder for their roles in his arrest for allegedly passing a counterfeit $20 bill.

    Chauvin’s appearance in Hennepin County District Court is scheduled for 12:45 pm Central Time (1745 GMT) and is to be held remotely by video link from a prison in Stillwater, Minnesota.

    Floyd’s death, the latest of an African-American man at the hands of police, has unleashed protests for racial justice and against police brutality in cities across the United States and around the world.

    The Minneapolis city council pledged on Sunday to dismantle and rebuild the police department.

    “We committed to dismantling policing as we know it in the city of Minneapolis and to rebuild with our community a new model of public safety that actually keeps our community safe,” council president Lisa Bender said.

    ‘Massive structural reform’

    Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey is against getting rid of the department, however, and the head of the city’s powerful police union, Bob Kroll, appeared on stage last year with President Donald Trump.

    Frey told AFP he supported “massive structural reform to revise this structurally racist system” but not “abolishing the entire police department.”

    Other US cities have already begun to embrace reforms – starting with bans on the use of tear gas and rubber bullets.

    In Washington, Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer and two dozen other lawmakers kneeled in silence at the US Capitol for the eight minutes and 46 seconds that Chauvin spent with his knee on Floyd’s neck.

    The tribute to Floyd and other black Americans “who have unjustly lost their lives” was held in Emancipation Hall – named in honour of the slaves who helped erect the Capitol building.

    Democrats went on to unveil a wide-ranging police reform bill, one of the chief demands of demonstrators who have taken to the streets for the past two weeks in the most sweeping US protests for racial justice since the 1968 assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

    “What we have to do as a nation is hold police accountable,” said Florida Representative Val Demings, a former police officer who has been mentioned as a possible running mate for Biden.

    It is unclear what support the proposed reforms might find in the Republican-controlled Senate – or whether Trump would sign such legislation into law.

    Trump has adopted a tough approach to putting down the protests and his administration has proposed no specific policy changes in response to the widespread outrage over Floyd’s death.

    “LAW & ORDER, NOT DEFUND AND ABOLISH THE POLICE. The Radical Left Democrats have gone crazy!” he tweeted on Monday.

    The president was scheduled to host a roundtable with law enforcement at the White House on Monday.

    A new CNN poll published on Monday of registered voters had Biden with a 14-point lead over Trump – 55 per cent to 41 per cent – his biggest margin yet in the White House race.

    Source: france24.com

  • George Floyd: Minneapolis council pledges to dismantle police department

    A majority of Minneapolis City Council has pledged to dismantle the local police department, a significant move amid nationwide protests sparked by George Floyd’s death last month.

    Nine of the 13 councillors said a “new model of public safety” would be created in a city where law enforcement has been accused of racism.

    Mayor Jacob Frey earlier opposed the move, drawing boos from the crowds.

    Activists, who for years have defended such a move, called it a turning point.

    But commentators say Minneapolis can now expect a long and complex debate over-policing.

    Mr Floyd’s death in police custody triggered mass protests against racism and police brutality. Security measures across the country were lifted on Sunday as unrest started to ease.

    Thousands of people are expected to gather on Monday for a public viewing of Mr Floyd’s body in Houston, his home city in Texas before he moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota. A private funeral will be held on Tuesday.

    A video of Mr Floyd, a 46-year-old African American, pinned to the floor with a white police officer kneeling on his neck for almost nine minutes sparked worldwide outrage.

    Officer Derek Chauvin has been dismissed and charged with second-degree murder. He will make his first court appearance later on Monday.

    Three other officers who were at the scene have also been sacked and charged with aiding and abetting.

    Source: bbc.com

  • George Floyd: New York and Washington see security ease

    Security measures in the US have been lifted as unrest over the death in police custody of African-American George Floyd eases.

    New York ended its nearly week-long curfew and President Donald Trump said he was ordering the National Guard to start withdrawing from Washington DC.

    The unrest has largely been replaced by largely peaceful worldwide protests against racism and police brutality.

    Black Lives Matter protests continued on Sunday in European nations.

    George Floyd died in police custody in Minneapolis on 25 May. Video showed him pinned to the floor, with a white police officer kneeling on his neck for almost nine minutes.

    Officer Derek Chauvin has been dismissed and charged with murder. Three other officers who were at the scene have also been sacked and charged with aiding and abetting.

    Mr Floyd’s funeral is scheduled for Tuesday in Houston, his home city before he moved to Minneapolis.

    US Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is due to travel to Texas on Monday to meet Mr Floyd’s family ahead of the service and offer his condolences, two senior aides told Reuters news agency. He is not expected to attend the funeral.

    Mr Biden also took to Twitter on Sunday to hit out at Mr Trump’s handling of the protests, saying he had “callously used his [words as a president] to incite violence, stoke the flames of hatred and division, and drive us further apart”.

    Hours earlier, President Trump had tweeted that the National Guard could start withdrawing from the capital as “everything is under perfect control”.

    “They will be going home, but can quickly return, if needed. Far fewer protesters showed up last night than anticipated!” he said.

    The National Guard is the reserve military force that can be called on by the US president or state governors to intervene in domestic emergencies.

    Washington had seen angry protests outside the White House, particularly last Monday when demonstrators were cleared for Mr Trump to walk to a nearby church.

    Saturday’s massive protest in the capital was peaceful.

    New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted: “We are lifting the curfew, effective immediately. Yesterday and last night we saw the very best of our city.”

    The end of the curfew comes a day before New York enters the first phase of its plan to reopen after more than two months of lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak.

    “Tomorrow we take the first big step to restart. Keep staying safe. Keep looking out for each other,” Mr de Blasio said.

    New York has seen its fair share of violence in the past week, with looting of luxury stores in Manhattan, scores of arrests and the burning of dozens of police cars.

    There were also accusations against the police, including the beating of protesters. One patrol car was also driven into a crowd of protesters, sparking a row between politicians.

    Many major US cities that saw unrest have now lifted curfews, including San Francisco and Los Angeles, although a few protests have still led to clashes.

    Where are protests continuing now?

    Sunday has seen more demonstrations taking place across Europe under the banner of Black Lives Matter.

    In Madrid, thousands of people marched carrying anti-racism placards and wearing masks to observe coronavirus measures, although images showed social distancing was not being followed.

    Outside the US embassy in Madrid, protesters shouted “I can’t breathe”, echoing Mr Floyd’s last words. Others took a knee to observe the mark of protest that originated in the US against police brutality and racism.

    Similar protests were held in Rome, where protesters fell silent for roughly the same time that George Floyd was pinned down.

    There have also been events in Brussels, Copenhagen and in several places in the UK.

    Protesters in Bristol tore down a statue of Edward Colston, a prominent 17th Century slave trader.

    What happened on Saturday?

    Huge peaceful rallies took place across the US.

    Tens of thousands of people gathered in Washington DC, in the city’s largest protest so far, many of them at the newly renamed Black Lives Matter Plaza outside Lafayette Park.

    There were also massive protests in San Francisco, Chicago and Los Angeles.

    There was even a protest in the small, east Texas town of Vidor, once infamous as a Ku Klux Klan stronghold.

    Dozens of white and black protesters carrying Black Lives Matter banners rallied in a place previously known as a “sundown town” because blacks did not venture out after dark.

    Though the vast majority of protests were peaceful, both Portland and Seattle saw unrest on Saturday night, with projectiles thrown and arrests made.

    Meanwhile, people paid their respects to Mr Floyd in North Carolina, where he was born, with a memorial service held.

    Source: bbc.com

  • George Floyd death: Protesters tear down slave trader statue

    A slave trader’s statue in Bristol has been torn down and thrown into the harbour during a second day of anti-racism protests across the UK.

    It comes after largely peaceful demonstrations in London on Saturday ended in some clashes with police.

    Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick urged protesters to find another way to make their views heard.

    But thousands of protesters massed for a second day outside the US embassy in London before moving towards Whitehall.

    Other protests have been taking place in Manchester, Wolverhampton, Nottingham, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

    In Bristol, protesters used ropes to pull down the bronze statue of Edward Colston, a prominent 17th Century slave trader, who has been a source of controversy in the city for many years.

    Colston was a member of the Royal African Company, which transported about 80,000 men, women and children from Africa to the Americas.

    On his death in 1721, he bequeathed his wealth to charities and his legacy can still be seen on Bristol’s streets, memorials and buildings.

    After the statue was toppled, a protester posed with his knee on the figure’s neck – reminiscent of the video showing George Floyd, the black man who died while being restrained by a Minnesota police officer.

    The statue was later dragged through the streets of Bristol and thrown into the harbour. The empty plinth was used as a makeshift stage for protesters.

    Home Secretary Priti Patel called the tearing down of the statue “utterly disgraceful”, adding that “it speaks to the acts of public disorder that have become a distraction from the cause people are protesting about”.

    “It’s right the police follow up and make sure that justice is undertaken with those individuals that are responsible for such disorderly and lawless behaviour,” she said.

    In a statement, Avon & Somerset police confirmed there would be an investigation into the “act of criminal damage”.

    Historian Prof David Olusoga told BBC News that the statue should have been taken down long before.

    He said: “Statues are about saying ‘This was a great man who did great things.’ That is not true, he [Colston] was a slave trader and a murderer.”

    ‘Proud of young people’

    Aerial footage in London showed thousands more protesters flooding the roads outside the US embassy in Vauxhall, south London before marching towards Parliament Square and Downing Street.

    They appeared to be ignoring warnings from both the police commissioner and Health Secretary Matt Hancock not to congregate and risk spreading the coronavirus.

    But free masks, gloves and hand gel were being handed out by volunteers.

    Labour’s Lisa Nandy backed the demonstrations, saying people “cannot be silent in the face of racism”.

    The shadow foreign secretary said young people were “right to raise their voices” but urged demonstrators to take precautions and socially distance amid fears that the mass gatherings could prompt another spike in coronavirus cases.

    Ms Nandy told the BBC’s Andrew Marr she was “proud” of young people demanding change following mass anti-racism protests across the UK on Saturday.

    “I think it’s one of the most important things about living in a free society is that people can go out and protest,” she said.

    Officers injured

    While protests across the UK on Saturday were largely peaceful, some clashes broke out between police and people gathered near Downing Street in the evening.

    Missiles and fireworks were aimed at police and bikes were also thrown by some demonstrators.

    The Metropolitan Police said 14 officers were injured, including a mounted officer who came off a horse as it bolted down Whitehall, with a further 13 hurt during demonstrations earlier in the week.

    Dame Cressida said she was “appalled” by the scenes of unrest on Saturday night, which led to 14 arrests.

    In a statement on Sunday, she added: “There is no place for violence in our city. Officers displayed extreme patience and professionalism throughout a long and difficult day, and I thank them for that.

    “I would urge protesters to please find another way to make your views heard which does not involve coming out on the streets of London, risking yourself, your families and officers as we continue to face this deadly virus.”

    Ms Patel condemned the actions of those involved and said there was “no excuse for violent behaviour”.

    “These protests should stop, they should not go ahead and people must be mindful and stick with the rules that have been put in place.

    “We have guidelines that basically say it is illegal for gatherings of more than six people to get together…. It is not in the interest of public health and it is certainly not going to assist the NHS or protect lives.”

    Prof John Edmunds, an member of the government’s scientific advisory group, Sage, said – even with reduced transmission outdoors – the large numbers protesting increased the risk of spread.

    “If you have a crowd of a few thousand people you would expect some of those people to be infectious,” he said.

    “And we know that the infection can be passed on by people who don’t have symptoms.”

    Source: bbc.com

  • George Floyd: Huge protests against racism held across US

    Huge peaceful rallies have taken place across the US against racism and police brutality on the 12th day of protests sparked by the death of George Floyd.

    Tens of thousands of people marched in Washington DC, in the city’s largest protest so far. Security forces blocked any approach to the White House.

    Crowds also demonstrated in New York, Chicago, LA and San Francisco.

    Meanwhile, people paid their respects to Mr Floyd in North Carolina, where he was born, before a memorial service.

    Mr Floyd, an unarmed black man, died in police custody in Minneapolis on 25 May. Video showed a white police officer kneeling on his neck for almost nine minutes while he is pinned to the floor.

    Officer Derek Chauvin has been dismissed and charged with murder. Three other officers who were at the scene have also been sacked and charged with aiding and abetting.

    Large anti-racism protests also took place in a number of other countries. In the UK, Parliament Square in central London was filled with people despite calls by the government to avoid mass gatherings for fear of spreading the coronavirus.

    In Australia, there were major protests in the cities of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane that focused on the treatment of indigenous Australians. There were also demonstrations in France, Germany and Spain.

    What happened at the protests?

    The largest appeared to be in Washington DC, where protesters – many of them carrying placards saying “Black Lives Matter” – gathered peacefully near the Capitol, the Lincoln Memorial and outside Lafayette Park, next to the White House, at the newly renamed Black Lives Matter Plaza.

    Mayor Muriel Bowser welcomed people, saying the crowds had sent a message to President Donald Trump. On Monday, federal law enforcement officers fired tear gas to clear a protest in the area ahead of a visit to a church by the president.

    “If he can take over Washington DC, he can come for any state, and none of us will be safe,” she said. “Our soldiers should not be treated that way, they should not be asked to move on American citizens.”

    Ms Bowser has requested the withdrawal of all federal law enforcement officers and National Guard troops from the city, saying their presence is “unnecessary”.

    One 35-year-old protester, Eric Wood, told the BBC: “I’m here because I really couldn’t afford not to be here. Racism has long been a part of the US.”

    Crystal Ballinger, 46, said she felt hopeful about the movement this time. “I feel something different about this protest… I’m hopeful that the message of solidarity and equality is getting out.”

    Many of the city curfews imposed after initial unrest have now been lifted. With restrictions eased, arrests have plummeted.

    However, late on Saturday police in Portland, Oregon, declared an “unlawful assembly and civil disturbance” after projectiles were thrown at officers near the Justice Center. Fifty arrests had been made by the early hours.

    Seattle police also said projectiles had been thrown and several officers were hurt by “improvised explosives”.

    Earlier in New York, crowds crossed the Brooklyn Bridge, while in San Francisco demonstrators briefly shut the Golden Gate Bridge. In Chicago, about 30,000 people rallied in Union Park, and a Hollywood intersection was blocked by protesters in Los Angeles.

    And in Richmond, Virginia, a statue of a Confederate general was pulled down from its pedestal.

    There were also protests in Atlanta and Philadelphia, where crowds chanted, “We need justice, we need love”.

    Meanwhile, the top editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer resigned after publishing a headline that equated property damage to the deaths of black people, which prompted public condemnation from many of the newspaper’s staff.

    Stan Wischnowski apologised for what he described as a “horribly wrong” decision to use the headline “Buildings Matter Too” on an article about civil unrest in the US.

    In Buffalo, two policemen were charged with second-degree assault after they were filmed pushing a 75-year old protester to the ground, seriously injuring him.

    In his overnight tweets, President Trump thanked the police, Secret Service and National Guard for doing a “fantastic job” and said that the Washington crowd was “much smaller than anticipated.

     

    Source: bbc.com

  • George Floyd protests: Ex-top general rebukes Trump over troops threat

    Another senior former military officer has denounced President Donald Trump’s threat to use troops to suppress ongoing protests in the US.

    The ex-Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman, Gen Martin Dempsey, told National Public Radio that Mr Trump’s remarks were “very troubling” and “dangerous”.

    Mr Trump’s current and former defence secretaries have also spoken out.

    On Monday, the president threatened to deploy the military to “quickly solve” the unrest if states failed to act.

    Mainly peaceful protests have spread across the US since the death of African-American George Floyd in police custody last month.

    While demonstrations over Mr Floyd’s death appear to be simmering down in the nation’s capital, the White House’s security perimeter has expanded in recent days.

    Police used batons and tear gas to clear protesters from nearby Lafayette Park on Monday, and have since erected high fences around the White House.

    Who has criticised the president?

    “The idea that the president would take charge of the situation using the military was troubling to me,” Gen Dempsey said in rare public remarks on Thursday.

    “The idea that the military would be called in to dominate and to suppress what, for the most part, were peaceful protests – admittedly, where some had opportunistically turned them violent – and that the military would somehow come in and calm that situation was very dangerous to me,” he added.

    Gen Dempsey served as America’s most senior military officer under former US President Barack Obama from 2011-15.

    His criticism comes a day after former Marine Gen Jim Mattis, Mr Trump’s former defence secretary, denounced the president, saying he deliberately stoked division.

    “Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people – does not even pretend to try,” Mr Mattis wrote in the Atlantic magazine. “Instead, he tries to divide us.”

    Mr Trump hit back via Twitter at the “overrated general”.

    Earlier that day, Mr Trump’s current Defence Secretary Mark Esper had also spoken up.

    He said the use of active-duty forces to quash unrest across the nation would be unnecessary at this stage, in remarks that are known to have displeased the White House.

    What did Trump say about deploying the military?

    Mr Trump said on Monday from the White House Rose Garden that he would act to disperse violent protesters.

    “If a city or a state refuses to take the actions that are necessary to defend the life and property of their residents, then I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them,” he said.

    While he spoke, authorities used force to disperse a mainly peaceful protest nearby so the president could walk to a historic church that was damaged by fire in the unrest and be photographed holding up a Bible.

    The justice department had ordered Lafayette Square, just outside the executive mansion, to be fenced off for Mr Trump’s walkabout.

    By Thursday afternoon, that security zone was significantly expanded, with high fencing installed around the park area known as the Ellipse just south of the White House.

    What other fallout has there been?

    Also on Thursday, a moderate Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski broke ranks to say she was unsure if she would support Mr Trump’s bid for re-election.

    In what is being seen as the most outspoken criticism yet of the president from a senator in his own party, Ms Murkowski told the Washington Post: “I thought Gen Mattis’s words were true and honest and necessary and overdue.”

    Source: bbc.com

  • George Floyd: ANC to launch ‘Black Friday’ campaign

    South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) will on Friday launch an anti-racism campaign.

    It will be a show solidarity with protests in the US that were sparked by the death of African-American George Floyd in police custody last month.

    The Black Friday campaign will call on South Africans to wear black every Friday for an unspecified period. It will also highlight the racism and police brutality in South Africa.

    The campaign will be launched by President Cyril Ramaphosa, the party said in a statement posted on Twitter:

    Source: bbc.com

  • George Floyd protests: Ex-top general rebukes Trump’s troops threat

    Another senior former military officer has denounced President Donald Trump’s threat to use troops to suppress ongoing protests in the US.

    The ex-Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman, Gen Martin Dempsey, told National Public Radio that Mr Trump’s remarks were “very troubling” and “dangerous”.

    Mr Trump’s current and former defence secretaries have also spoken out.

    On Monday, the president threatened to deploy the military to “quickly solve” the unrest if states failed to act.

    Mainly peaceful protests have spread across the US since the death of African-American George Floyd in police custody last month.

    While demonstrations over Mr Floyd’s death appear to be simmering down in the nation’s capital, the White House’s security perimeter has expanded in recent days.

    Police used batons and tear gas to clear protesters from nearby Lafayette Park on Monday, and have since erected high fences around the White House.

    Who has criticised the president?

    “The idea that the president would take charge of the situation using the military was troubling to me,” Gen Dempsey said in rare public remarks on Thursday.

    “The idea that the military would be called in to dominate and to suppress what, for the most part, were peaceful protests – admittedly, where some had opportunistically turned them violent – and that the military would somehow come in and calm that situation was very dangerous to me,” he added.

    Gen Dempsey served as America’s most senior military officer under former US President Barack Obama from 2011-15.

    “Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people – does not even pretend to try,” Mr Mattis wrote in the Atlantic magazine. “Instead, he tries to divide us.”

    Mr Trump hit back via Twitter at the “overrated general”.

    Earlier that day, Mr Trump’s current Defence Secretary Mark Esper had also spoken up.

    He said the use of active-duty forces to quash unrest across the nation would be unnecessary at this stage, in remarks that are known to have displeased the White House.

    What did Trump say about deploying the military?

    Mr Trump said on Monday from the White House Rose Garden that he would act to disperse violent protesters.

    “If a city or a state refuses to take the actions that are necessary to defend the life and property of their residents, then I will deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them,” he said.

    While he spoke, authorities used force to disperse a mainly peaceful protest nearby so the president could walk to a historic church that was damaged by fire in the unrest and be photographed holding up a Bible.

    The justice department had ordered Lafayette Square, just outside the executive mansion, to be fenced off for Mr Trump’s walkabout.

    By Thursday afternoon, that security zone was significantly expanded, with high fencing installed around the park area known as the Ellipse just south of the White House.

    What other fallout has there been?

    Also on Thursday, a moderate Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski broke ranks to say she was unsure if she would support Mr Trump’s bid for re-election.

    In what is being seen as the most outspoken criticism yet of the president from a senator in his own party, Ms Murkowski told the Washington Post: “I thought Gen Mattis’s words were true and honest and necessary and overdue.”

    Shortly afterwards Mr Trump tweeted that he would campaign to throw the Alaska senator out of office when she is up for re-election in 2022.

    Meanwhile, the New York Times has said it was wrong to publish an opinion column by Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton entitled, Send in the Troops.

    It comes after dozens of journalists at the newspaper criticised the decision to run the piece, tweeting it put “Black @nytimes staffers in danger”.

    The Times initially defended its publication of Sen Cotton’s column, which called for the military to be deployed against protesters – saying that it wanted to provide readers with a range of opinions.

    But the paper later issued a statement saying “a rushed editorial process led to the publication of an Op-Ed that did not meet our standards”.

    Source: bbc.com

  • George Floyd: Steve McQueen dedicates Cannes films to his memory

    Oscar-winning director Steve McQueen has dedicated his two films selected for Cannes Film Festival to the memory of George Floyd.

    Mangrove and Lovers Rock would have featured at the festival before it was cancelled due to coronavirus.

    McQueen said: “I dedicate these films to George Floyd and all the other black people that have been murdered, seen or unseen, because of who they are, in the US, UK and elsewhere.”

    Mr Floyd died in US police custody.

    He died on 25 May in Minneapolis after a police officer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes. Derek Chauvin has been charged with second-degree murder, while three other officers face charges of aiding and abetting murder.

    The death has caused protests and sporadic rioting in America, along with global mass demonstrations.

    Quoting the legendary Jamaican protest singer and reggae star Bob Marley, McQueen added: “‘If you are the big tree, we are the small axe.’ Black Lives Matter.”

    Both of his listed films are part of his BBC Small Axe anthology, consisting of five feature-length stories, which are all now in honour of Mr Floyd.

    In 2014, McQueen’s film 12 Years a Slave – based on the 1853 autobiography of the same name by Solomon Northup – won a host of Academy awards, including the Oscar for best picture and best director.

    The Brit won the Cannes Film Festival’s coveted Camera d’Or for best first feature film, back in 2008, for his work on Hunger; a historical drama about the 1981 Irish hunger strike.

    And while this year’s festival had to be cancelled amid Covid-19 concerns, the Official Selection is still considered to be a massive mark of approval for any movie.

    ‘It could not disappear’

    Also on the 56-strong list for 2020 were Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch, and Ammonite, directed by another British filmmaker Francis Lee and starring Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan.

    In a statement, the festival’s artistic director Thierry Fremaux said in a statement that while the event – which has offered content to the ongoing We Are One online film event – “could not take its usual form”, it also “could not just disappear”.

    “We couldn’t send everyone to 2021,” he added. “So we continued our selection. And it was the right decision.”

    He added that the event will unveil its plans “to continue its activities into the autumn” in the near future.

    This year’s selection featured 16 female directors, up two from last year, when Mati Diop became the first black female director to have a film featured in-competition in the event’s history.

    Check out the full list of films on this year’s Official Selection here.

    Source: bbc.com

  • See photos of American celebrities who attended George Floyd’s memorial

    George Floyd’s memorial service held in Minneapolis were attended by American Superstars from the entertainment industry. Music heavyweights T.I, Ludacris, Tyrese Gibson, and famous Hollywood actor, Kevin Hart and many others were present to pay their respect to Floyd, an African-American who was brutally murdered by four white police officers of the Minneapolis Police Department.

    George joins the long list of black men and women who died as a result of police brutality against the black community. All four former police officers who were involved in the incident has been arrested and charged for his death. After a long week of violent protest across the 50 states in the United States and other parts of the world.

    A memorial service was held in his honour before the corpse of the demised will be finally laid to rest.

    Also in attendance was Martin Luther King III, who came along with his family, paid their last and final respect and also sympathized with the grieving family.

    The manner in which George died shocked the entire world, and we hope justice will be served. Let’s all join hands together and pray that his gentle soul rest in peace.

    Sourrce: opera.com

  • George Floyd’s burial: See the moment his body arrived (photos)

    Here is the moment the body of George Floyd, the African-American, who was murdered by a police officer and other 3 accomplices, arrived at his memorial service in Minneapolis.

    Minneapolis Police Chief, Medaria Arradondo and Sgt. Dave O’Connor can be seen in a video kneeling as George Floyd’s hearse arrived.

    That was a mark of their respect to the black man who died in the process of police brutality.

    The memorial took place at North Central University campus, located about two miles from where Floyd lost his life.

    Floyd’s family was joined by dozens of guests, including civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson, Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, Martin Luther King III and actor Kevin Hart.

    Mourners wore masks and bumped elbows, rather than hugging or shaking hands.

    Reverend Jesse Jackson entered the memorial ground and prayed for several moments over Floyd’s golden casket as others followed his lead.

    Honestly, this is a painful moment for Floyd’s family and I pray God gives them the fortitude to bear this loss.

    Watch the video Here

    Rest In Peace Floyd.

    Source: opera.com

  • George Floyd death: Minneapolis to host first memorial event

    Hundreds of people are expected to attend a memorial in Minneapolis for African American George Floyd, who died in police custody last month.

    The death of Floyd, whose neck was pinned under a white officer’s knee, has sparked huge protests over racism and police killings of black Americans.

    The tribute comes despite fears over coronavirus at large gatherings.

    New charges were announced on Wednesday against all four of the now sacked officers present at Floyd’s death.

    The charge against Derek Chauvin has been elevated to second-degree murder while the other three officers, previously uncharged, face counts of aiding and abetting murder.

    The vast majority of demonstrations over the past eight days have been peaceful, but some have turned violent and curfews have been imposed in a number of cities.

    Former President Barack Obama and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, are among senior public figures who have offered their support to the protesters.

    They were joined on Wednesday by former Defence Secretary James Mattis, who also attacked his former boss President Donald Trump, saying that he stoked division and had abused his authority in his reaction to the protests.

    What will happen at the memorial?

    The event, in the northern city of Minneapolis where Floyd died, is the first of several to honour him.

    It will take place at a sanctuary at the city’s North Central University.

    Benjamin Crump, a lawyer for the Floyd family, said it was more than just honouring the dead man’s memory.

    “It’s going to be a celebration of life, but it’s also going to be a plea to America and a plea for justice that we don’t let his death be in vain,” he told NBC’s Today show.

    Veteran civil rights campaigner, Rev Al Sharpton, will deliver the eulogy for the two-hour service, which will start at 13:00 local time (18:00 GMT).

    “Out of all the years that I’ve been marching and protesting and doing eulogies and speeches, I’m more hopeful going to this service than I have been in a long time,” Rev Sharpton said on MSNBC’s Morning Joe programme.

    “Because I see more Americans of different races and different ages standing up together, marching together, raising their voices together… That makes me know we’re on the brink of real change.”

    Rev Sharpton, who met Floyd’s family on Wednesday, said he would announce the launch of a new social movement at the memorial, as well as call for new federal legislation to end racial discrimination by police.

    Further tributes will be held at Floyd’s birthplace in North Carolina on Saturday, and in his home town of Houston on Monday.

    Source: bbc.com

  • George Floyd and Derek Chauvin once worked overlapping security shifts at the same nightclub

    George Floyd and the former Minneapolis police officer seen in a video with his knee on Floyd’s neck before he died worked at the same nightclub, according to the venue’s former owner.

    Derek Chauvin and Floyd worked security at the El Nuevo Rodeo club, down the street from Minneapolis’ Third Precinct, according to Maya Santamaria, the club’s former owner who sold the venue within the last few months.

    Floyd, who Santamaria called a “great guy” known for his big smile, often worked as an extra security guard on Tuesdays when the club held popular “urban” music nights. Chauvin served as an off-duty police officer for the club for almost 17 years.

    “I wouldn’t characterize them as knowing each other,” Santamaria told CNN’s Josh Campbell in an interview. “We did all work together at the club at different points of time, certainly on Tuesday nights on and off. We were all working on the same team.”

    Santamaria added, “We all worked together certain nights and they would have crossed paths.”

    Chauvin faces charges of third-degree murder and manslaughter in connection with Floyd’s death, according to Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman.

    Chauvin was taken into custody by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension on Friday as fires continued to burn from violent protests overnight as demonstrators demanded justice for Floyd.

    For Santamaria, seeing the video showing Floyd handcuffed and on the ground saying, “I can’t breathe,” while Chauvin holds him down with his knee on Floyd’s neck was shocking.

    “I didn’t understand what I was seeing,” Santamaria said. “I kept yelling at my phone telling Chauvin to get off of him. It’s horrible. It’s absolutely beyond words. And having known Chauvin, I can’t believe he didn’t have the humanity to listen to this poor man begging for his air and his life.”

    Floyd’s death has ignited protests in Minneapolis and other US cities. More than 500 Minnesota National Guard personnel have been mobilized to several locations in the Minneapolis area as protesters have looted businesses and set a police precinct on fire.

    Disclaimer : “Opinions expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author(s) and do not in any way reflect those of tigpost.co. Our outfit will hereby not be liable for any inaccuracies contained in this article.

    Source: cnn.com

  • George Floyd death: More large protests in US but violence falls

    Tens of thousands of people have demonstrated, mainly peacefully, across the United States for an eighth night following the death of African-American George Floyd in police custody.

    One of the biggest protests, joined by Floyd’s relatives, took place in his hometown of Houston, Texas.

    Many defied curfews in several cities, imposed after violence and looting in some districts on Monday night.

    The Pope has issued a call for racism not to be ignored.

    “We cannot tolerate or turn a blind eye to racism,” he said. But he also condemned the violence: “Nothing is gained by violence and so much is lost.”

    The Floyd case has reignited deep-seated anger over police killings of black Americans and racism.

    Demonstrators have taken to the streets – not only to express their outrage at the treatment of Mr Floyd – but to condemn police brutality against black Americans more widely.

    There have been calls, and a proposal from a US lawmaker, to end the qualified immunity of police which prevents civil legal action against them. More generally protesters have called for an end to racism and discrimination.

    In central Washington DC police fired tear gas after darkness. The military were again on the streets of the capital and helicopters hovered above protesters marching towards the White House.

    Traffic was blocked in New York’s Manhattan district as protesters ignored a night-time curfew, which had been extended for a week. Video footage showed them surrounding a police van.

    Disclaimer : “Opinions expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author(s) and do not in any way reflect those of tigpost.co. Our outfit will hereby not be liable for any inaccuracies contained in this article.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Floyd killing shows ‘true face’ of US: Iran’s Khamenei

    The police killing of unarmed African-American George Floyd shows the “true face” of the United States and its oppression of the peoples of the world, including its own, Iran’s supreme leader said Wednesday.

    “The fact that a policeman has cold-bloodedly pressed his knee on the throat of a black man until he died and that other policeman watched on without doing anything is nothing knew,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a televised speech.

    “It is the truce face of America, it’s what it has always done all over the world — in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and other countries, and before that in Vietnam.

    “It is the normal course of action of the United States, it’s the truce face of their regime,” Khamenei said.

    “These are realities that have always been camouflaged or hidden, but they are not new,” he said in a speech on the 31st anniversary of the death of his predecessor, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

    Protests sparked by Floyd’s killing by a white police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, have raged across the United States for a week and President Donald Trump has ordered the military to intervene.

    The once-in-a-generation unrest has coincided with the world’s deadliest coronavirus outbreak in the United States.

    Epidemiologists have voiced concern that the thousands of people protesting at close quarters, coughing violently when hit by police tear gas, will lead to a new upsurge in infections.

    “Thank God, (US leaders) have already been discredited by their actions — their handling of the coronavirus has discredited and shamed them around the world,” Khamenei said of the 106,000 deaths from COVID-19 already registered in the United States.

    Iran had itself faced strong criticism from its arch-foe the United States when it was reeling from one of the world’s highest COVID-19 death tolls earlier this year.

    As of Wednesday, Iran’s health ministry declared a total of 8,012 deaths, although that figure has been dismissed by some as underreported, including by Washington.

    Tensions between Tehran and Washington escalated sharply in 2018, after

    Source: france24.com

  • ‘I lost my best friend in a police shooting’

    After a police officer shot and killed Greg Crockett’s best friend, he left Minnesota for good. Then in the aftermath of George Floyd’s killing, he decided he couldn’t stay away. How everything and nothing changed after the death of Philando Castile.

    Greg Crockett was sitting in the passenger seat of his grandfather’s van when he saw that – in the midst of rapidly escalating protests over the death of an unarmed black man named George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer – an auto parts store near his old neighbourhood was on fire.

    Although he moved away from Minnesota almost two years ago, Crockett told his grandfather he needed to go. In response, his grandfather, a retired Marine, quoted Che Guevara.

    “The revolution is not an apple that falls when it is ripe. You have to make it fall.”

    Source: bbc.com

  • Protests intensify coronavirus fears

    The Associated Press news agency has analysed protests over the past few days and found that demonstrations over the killing of George Floyd had been held in every one of the 25 US communities with the highest concentrations of new cases.

    There are growing fears that the tightly packed streets and squares with people often not even wearing and face masks could lead to a spike in the number of new cases.

    There are currently 1.8 million confirmed cases of coronavirus in the US – with more than 106,000 deaths.

    Disclaimer : “Opinions expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author(s) and do not in any way reflect those of tigpost.co. Our outfit will hereby not be liable for any inaccuracies contained in this article.”

    Source: bbc.com

  • George Floyd death: Archbishop attacks Trump as US unrest continues

    Washington’s Catholic Archbishop strongly criticised President Donald Trump’s visit to a shrine as civil unrest continues in the US over the death of a black man in police custody.

    The visit “misused” and “manipulated” the Saint John Paul II National Shrine, Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory said, adding that he found it “baffling and reprehensible”.

    Anger over the killing of George Floyd as well as systemic injustice are fuelling protests, film-maker Spike Lee told the BBC in an interview.

    On Monday Mr Trump threatened to send in the military to quell disturbances, vowing to “dominate the streets.”

    Peaceful and violent protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis on 25 May continued overnight.

    The president said that he would deploy the army if cities and states failed to control the protests.

    But on Tuesday at least one city mayor rejected the use of National Guard and military forces.

    Presidential candidate Joe Biden criticized Mr Trump for using the crisis to appeal to his supporters, saying he was “serving the passions of his base”.

    Dozens of people have been injured as authorities used tear gas and force to disperse protests which have swept more than 75 cities.

    On Tuesday the Las Vegas sheriff said an officer died in a shooting after police attempted to disperse a crowd, and four officers were injured on Monday in St Louis, Missouri.

    Disclaimer : “Opinions expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author(s) and do not in any way reflect those of tigpost.co. Our outfit will hereby not be liable for any inaccuracies contained in this article.”

    Source: bbc.com

  • George Floyd death: Trump threatens to send in army to end unrest

    President Donald Trump has threatened to send in the military to quell growing civil unrest in the US over the death of a black man in police custody.

    He said if cities and states failed to control the protests and “defend their residents” he would deploy the army and “quickly solve the problem for them”.

    Protests over the death of George Floyd have escalated over the past week.

    Presidential candidate Joe Biden criticised Mr Trump on Tuesday for “serving the passions of his base”.

    “We’re not going to allow any president to quiet our voice,” the Democrat said, referencing the US constitution which guarantees protestors’ freedom to assemble.

    On Tuesday the Las Vegas sheriff said an officer died in a shooting after police attempted to disperse a crowd.

    Dozens of people have been injured as authorities used tear gas and force to disperse protests which have swept more than 75 cities.

    Four officers meanwhile were shot and injured on Monday night during unrest in St Louis, Missouri.

    The protests began after a video showed Mr Floyd, 46, being arrested in Minneapolis on 25 May and a white police officer continuing to kneel on his neck even after he pleaded that he could not breathe.

    The officer, Derek Chauvin, has been charged with third-degree murder and will appear in court next week. Three other police officers have been fired.

    The Floyd case has reignited deep-seated anger over police killings of black Americans and racism. It follows the high-profile cases of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri; Eric Garner in New York; and others that have driven the Black Lives Matter movement.

    For many, the outrage also reflects years of frustration over socio-economic inequality and discrimination, not least in Minneapolis itself.

    What did Trump say?

    The president delivered a brief address from the White House Rose Garden, amid the sound of a nearby protest being dispersed.

    Mr Trump said “all Americans were rightly sickened and revolted by the brutal death of George Floyd” but said his memory must not be “drowned out by an angry mob”.

    He described the scenes of looting and violence in the capital on Sunday as “a total disgrace” before pledging to bolster the city’s defences.

    “I’m dispatching thousands and thousands of heavily armed soldiers, military personnel and law enforcement officers to stop the rioting, looting, vandalism, assaults and the wanton destruction of property,” he said.

    He called on cities and states to deploy the National Guard, the reserve military force that can be called on to intervene in domestic emergencies, “in sufficient numbers that we dominate the streets”. About 16,000 troops have been deployed so far.

    Mr Trump added: “If a city or state refuses to take the actions that are necessary… then I’ll deploy the United States military and quickly solve the problem for them.”

    Can he do that? In order to take that step, the president would have to invoke the Insurrection Act, which in some circumstances first requires a request from state governors for him to do so.

    This law was last invoked in 1992 during riots in Los Angeles following the acquittal of four police officers charged with assaulting black motorist Rodney King.

    Mr Trump’s warning was met with swift criticism from senior Democrats. Joe Biden, the party’s presumptive presidential candidate, said Mr Trump “[was] using the American military against the American people”.

    Following his address, Mr Trump walked to a nearby church which had been damaged by protesters on Sunday night. He and a number of aides stood at the steps of the building as Mr Trump held up a Bible in front of the gathered press.

    Source: bbc.com

  • George Floyd death: TV, radio and music industries mark ‘Blackout Tuesday’

    Radio stations and TV channels have changed their programmes to mark “Blackout Tuesday”, reflecting on George Floyd’s death in police custody.

    BBC Radio 1Xtra is hosting a series of discussions and debates in support of the black community, with song choices that reflect black pride and identity.

    Many record labels and music stars have stopped work to observe the initiative.

    MTV will go silent for eight minutes – the length of time a white police officer knelt on Mr Floyd’s neck.

    The gesture will be replicated on other channels including VH1 and Comedy Central, while 4 Music will pause its output once an hour throughout the day.

    There are also moments of reflection on BBC Radio 1 and Radio 2, while commercial radio stations including Kiss, Magic and Absolute Radio are observing a social media blackout “to show that racism of any kind cannot be tolerated”.

    ITV daytime show This Morning briefly went dark, showing a black screen with the words “Black Lives Matter”.

    Presenter Alison Hammond later said Mr Floyd’s death “hurt me to the pit of my stomach”.

    “Firstly, I am a mother of a 15-year-old black boy,” she said. “When I saw that image of George Floyd, I saw my brothers, I saw my father and I saw my son, I saw everybody’s son and I was disgusted to my core.

    “If black lives mattered, we wouldn’t be in this situation.”

    Apple Music’s Zane Lowe tweeted that he would skip Tuesday’s edition of his radio show, saying he stood “united with his black and brown friends and colleagues”.

    “I will not be on radio. I will be taking part in Blackout Tuesday, listening, learning and looking for solutions to fight racial inequality,” the DJ added.

    On Radio 1, Clara Amfo gave a powerful speech about the effects of racism and the recent events on her mental health.

    The broadcaster said Mr Floyd’s death reinforced a feeling among black people “that people want our culture, but they do not want us”.

    Music companies and musicians around the world adopted Tuesday as a day of reflection and protest in the wake of Mr Floyd’s death last week in Minneapolis.

    Katy Perry posted a plain black square to her Instagram account with the caption: “I hope that #BlackoutTuesday gives us all (especially in the music industry) an opportunity to take what we’re learning and put it into action on Wednesday, and every day going forward.”

    Rihanna said her Fenty beauty label would not conduct any business on Tuesday.

    Apple’s iTunes store and its streaming service Apple Music replaced their usual carousels of new music and playlists with a slide stating: “This moment calls upon us all to speak and act against racism and injustice of all kinds.”

    Listeners were then directed to a livestream of the Beats 1 radio station, where the music is focusing on themes of black empowerment and civil rights. (All of the service’s usual tracks were still available through the search function, however.)

    Spotify, meanwhile, blacked out the artwork for several of its most prominent playlists, including Today’s Hits and Rap Caviar.

    The company also inserted a silence of eight minutes and 46 seconds into selected podcasts and playlists “as a solemn acknowledgement for the length of time that George Floyd was suffocated”.

    ‘Provoking change’
    The movement began last Friday, when a number of companies and artists shared a statement posted under the hashtag #TheShowMustBePaused, calling for “a day to disconnect from work and reconnect with our community” and “an urgent step of action to provoke accountability and change”.

    The initiative was started by Atlantic Records marketing executives Brianna Agyemang and Jamila Thomas, and spread by hundreds of artists including Billie Eilish, Britney Spears, the Rolling Stones, Radiohead, producer Quincy Jones and Eminem.

    “Tuesday, June 2nd is meant to intentionally disrupt the work week,” wrote Agyemang and Thomas.

    “The music industry is a multi-billion dollar industry. An industry that has profited predominantly from Black art. Our mission is to hold the industry at large, including major corporations + their partners who benefit from the efforts, struggles and successes of black people accountable.”

    They have subsequently posted several calls to action, including a reading list called Anti-Racism Resources and links to community action groups.

    All three major record labels – Universal, Sony and Warner Music, whose combined annual revenues exceed $16bn (£12.75bn) – signed up to the initiative, as did many independent labels, the Glastonbury Festival and event organisers Live Nation.

    Interscope Records also vowed to stop releasing new music for a week, while many others donated money to the George Floyd Memorial Fund.

    But some people in the music industry criticised the initiative’s lack of clarity and direction, dismissing it as “virtue signalling”.

    “I love you all, but this music industry shutdown thing feels tone deaf to me,” wrote indie musician Bon Iver on Twitter, although he later apologised for “calling out people when they are on the same side as you”.

    Indie labels Father/Daughter Records and Don Giovanni also said they did not plan to observe the blackout.

    “If BLM [Blacks Lives Matter] calls for the music industry to take action, we will,” wrote the latter on its Twitter page. “But I have no interest in supporting major label record executive white guilt day.”

    However, Agyemang and Thomas have stressed the blackout is just the beginning of a larger campaign.

    “This is not just a 24-hour initiative,” they wrote. “We are and will be in this fight for the long haul. A plan of action will be announced.”

    Disclaimer : “Opinions expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author(s) and do not in any way reflect those of tigpost.co. Our outfit will hereby not be liable for any inaccuracies contained in this article.”

    Source: bbc.com

  • George Floyd death: Spike Lee says protesters were ‘not just born angry’

    Film-maker Spike Lee has said people in the US are angry because they “live every day in this world where the system is not set up for you to win”.

    The Oscar-winner said the reasons for the current unrest included the deaths of black people like George Floyd but also wider injustices and inequalities.

    “It’s not like you’re just born angry,” he told BBC arts editor Will Gompertz.

    Lee also said President Trump’s response showed that “he’s a gangster, he’s trying to be a dictator”.

    Mr Trump has threatened to send in the military to quell growing civil unrest across the US.

    On Monday, the president walked from the White House to a nearby fire-damaged church to pose with a Bible, after demonstrators were cleared from his path.

    Lee, whose new Netflix film Da 5 Bloods follows a group of African-American war veterans, said: “I was watching this last night with my family and we were all screaming in disbelief that this thing was staged.

    “This show of force – gassing, beating innocent, peaceful bystanders so you could clear the street so you could take a walk to the church. It was ridiculous.

    He added: “The Bible did not look comfortable in his hand, and he didn’t look comfortable holding the Bible either. I have never seen something like that before in my life, particularly with a world leader.”

    In his speech before walking to the church, Mr Trump said: “I am your president of law and order and an ally of all peaceful protesters.”

    Many US cities have seen demonstrations and unrest since the death of 46-year-old Mr Floyd in Minneapolis on 25 May, when a white police officer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes.

    On Sunday, Lee released a short film combining footage of Mr Floyd and Eric Garner, who was killed while being arrested in 2014, with a scene from his 1989 film Do the Right Thing in which the character Radio Raheem is murdered.

    A state grand jury declined to press criminal charges against the officer involved in Mr Garner’s death.

    “Why are people angry?” Lee said on Tuesday. “People are angry because black people are being killed left and right, cops walked away free.

    “Black and brown people are angry at the disparity between the haves and have-nots – education, drinking dirty water, racism.

    “People are angry for a reason. It’s not like you’re just born angry. You’re angry because you live every day in this world where the system is not set up for you to win.

    “The life expectancy… There are just so many things that one could make a list of [them] forever – that’s where the anger’s from.

    “It’s a stupid analogy, but if you leave the pot on the stove, the water boils.”

    Social inequalities have been particularly evident during the coronavirus pandemic, he said, with people from minorities more likely to die after contracting the disease.

    “It’s the black and brown people who had to go to work, front-liners of all aspects, they kept this [country] going,” he said.

    And racism is far from being unique to the US, he added.

    “Racism is all over the world. This was a global pandemic before corona.

    “I’m a very spiritual person and I don’t think that’s a coincidence that these two things are happening at the same time.”

    Source: bbc.com

  • George Floyd death: Trump’s church visit shocks religious leaders

    Last night he held a Bible in front of St John’s Episcopal Church, just across the road from the White House. Today, he’ll visit the Shrine to St John Paul II, also in Washington DC.

    But US President Donald Trump’s signalling of religious affiliation has not been welcomed by a range of clerics as the nation struggles to manage the twin challenges of a pandemic and widespread political protest.

    The Episcopal Bishop of Washington, the Right Reverend Mariann Budde, said: “The president just used a Bible, the most sacred text of the Judeo-Christian tradition, and one of the churches of my diocese, without permission, as a backdrop for a message antithetical to the teachings of Jesus.”

    James Martin, a Jesuit priest and consultant to the Vatican’s communications department, tweeted: “Let me be clear. This is revolting. The Bible is not a prop. A church is not a photo op. Religion is not a political tool. God is not your plaything.”

    Rabbi Jack Moline, President of the Interfaith Alliance, said: “Seeing President Trump standing in front of St John’s Episcopal Church while holding a Bible in response to calls for racial justice – right after using military force to clear peaceful protesters – is one of the most flagrant misuses of religion that I have ever seen.”

    President Trump does not belong to a particular congregation, only occasionally attends a service and has said many times that he does not like to ask God for forgiveness.

    But while he may not consider church essential to his personal life, it may yet hold the keys to his political future.

    In 2016, Mr Trump won 81% of white evangelical votes and exit polls found that white Catholics supported him over Hillary Clinton by 60% to 37%.

    Mr Trump’s status, as the champion of evangelical and conservative voters, can seem peculiar given his use of divisive rhetoric, his three marriages, accusations of sexual assault by dozens of women, the hush-money paid to a pornographic film actress, and the record of false statements made during his presidency – more than 18,000 according to the Poynter Institute’s Politifact website.

    But he has sealed a powerful bond with religious voters by embracing their political priorities and appointing two Supreme Court justices – Brett Kavanaugh and Neil Gorsuch – and federal judges with their support.

    This may explain why – though an irregular congregant himself – the president has repeatedly demanded the reopening of churches, saying, on 22 May, “If they don’t do it, I will override the governors.”

    Religious conservatives appear to be the most solid core of Mr Trump’s voter base, despite political unrest and the vast number of deaths from Covid-19.

    According to the latest Pew Research Poll, 75% of white evangelical Protestants say he’s doing a good job in handling the pandemic – down 6 percentage points from six weeks before.

    But while one voting bloc remains faithful, the country at large is deeply divided. According to analysis by the website FiveThirtyEight, which collates all polling data, 43% of Americans agree with the president’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, while 53.4% disapprove.

    Several religious leaders are hoping that Trump’s visit to the shrine may encourage him to reflect on the words of then Pope John Paul II, delivered to the United Nations in 1995.

    “The answer to the fear which darkens human existence at the end of the 20th Century,” he said, “is the common effort to build the civilization of love.”

    Source: bbc.com

  • George Floyd protests: Twitter bans over #DCBlackout hoax

    Twitter has suspended hundreds of accounts for spreading claims about a Washington DC “blackout” which never happened.

    Amid widespread civil unrest in the US, thousands to tweets using the #DCBlackout hashtag claimed that communications had been blocked in the capital to cripple protests.

    But there was no evidence of this.

    Twitter also said it had banned an account for inciting violence while impersonating a protest group.

    The #DCBlackout hashtag trended on Twitter on Monday, with millions of tweets and retweets claiming that internet and phone communications were cut late in the night as the protests continued.

    But reporters covering the protests had no such problems, and Twitter collated several of their tweets into a prominent link in Twitter’s main website sidebar. An internet monitoring service also said there was no indication of any widespread disruption.

    A Twitter spokesperson said the social media site had “suspended hundreds of spammy accounts” that used the #DCBlackout hashtag, citing the company’s platform manipulation and spam policies.

    The DC blackout hoax is a classic example of an internet rumour spiralling out of control.

    The hashtag first started going viral on Twitter in the early hours of Monday. Panicky messages about a blackout also spread on Facebook, Reddit and later on Instagram too.

    Some of the most shared posts were sent by users who were not based in Washington DC or even in the US.

    Despite the lack of evidence of a blackout, the hashtag garnered more than 500,000 tweets from 35,000 unique accounts in a matter of hours and became a global trend.

    Concerned residents in and around Washington DC then saw the trend on their social media feeds and began posting about it to find out what was going on.

    So by the time Twitter removed it from its “trending topics” list, the claim may have been seen by millions worldwide.

    This is a playbook we have seen over and over again.

    When a major event is developing, rumours and claims about an emotional topic can go viral without any evidence to support them.

    Twitter also suspended another account which claimed to represent the left-wing Antifa group, calling for violence.

    But the antifa_us account turned out to be operated by a known white nationalist group operating under an assumed name, Twitter told US media.

    Before it was suspended, it tweeted messages including: “Tonight … we move into the residential areas … the white hoods … and we take what’s ours”.

    Source: bbc.com

  • George Floyd: Music industry calls for ‘blackout’ over death

    The music industry is to observe a day-long “blackout” on Tuesday, in response to George Floyd’s death last week.

    All three major record labels have shared a message on social media promising “a day to disconnect from work and reconnect with our community”.

    Employees have been given Tuesday off as “a day of action,” intended to “provoke accountability and change”.

    Interscope vowed not to release new music this week, while Apple Music’s Ebro Darden cancelled his radio shows.

    Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American man, died last week after a white police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes.

    Minneapolis policeman Derek Chauvin has been sacked and charged with third-degree murder. He is due to appear in court on Monday, amid ongoing protests in the US and UK.

    Many of music’s biggest stars have spoken out about the father-of-two’s death.

    Taking to Instagram on Sunday, Rihanna spoke of the “devastation, anger [and] sadness” she has experienced over the last week.

    “Watching my people get murdered and lynched day after day pushed me to a heavy place in my heart,” she wrote.

    Beyoncé filmed an Instagram video urging fans to sign a petition seeking “justice for George Floyd”.

    “We all witnessed his murder in broad daylight…We’re broken and we’re disgusted. We cannot normalise this pain”.

    Dr Dre also called for action, saying his “heart is still aching”.

    “It felt like that cop had his knee on all of our necks, meaning black men,” he said on Apple Music’s Young Money Radio.

    “It’s extremely painful because it keeps going on. It continues to go on and it’s like, ‘What can we do? Or what do we need to do to make this thing stop?’”

    Other pop stars, including Ariana Grande, J Cole, Tinashe, Nick Cannon, Yungblud, Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes, joined protestors across the US over the weekend.

    h

    ✔@halsey

    fired rubber bullets at us. we did not breach the line. hands were up. unmoving. and they gassed and fired.

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    Halsey, who took to the streets in Los Angeles, told fans that she and other protestors had been fired upon by police.

    “We were peaceful, hands up, not moving, not breaching the line,” she captioned a photograph of police in protective gear.

    “They opened fire of rubber bullets and tear gas multiple times on us. citizens who were not provoking them.”

    As anger spread through the music community, a message spread on social media calling on the industry to “take an urgent step of action to provoke accountability and change”.

    “As gatekeepers of the culture, it’s our responsibility to not only come together to celebrate the wins, but also hold each other up during loss,” reads the statement, which circulated under the hashtag #TheShowMustBePaused.

    Among those reposting the message were Warner Music Group, Sony/ATV, Universal Music, Motown, Capitol Records, British label Dirty Hit, Eminem’s Shady Records and legendary producer Quincy Jones.

    “All of my shows are cancelled,” wrote Apple’s Ebro Darden on his Instagram feed. “I will air replays of conversations with community activists, politicians and revolutionary music.”

    Task force “We stand together with the black community against all forms of racism, bigotry, and violence,” said Columbia Records, which is home to Beyoncé, Pharrell Williams, Lil Nas X, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Adele.

    “Now, more than ever, we must use our voices to speak up and challenge the injustices all around us.”

    “In the words of Dr King, ‘There comes a time when silence is betrayal.’ When you have a responsibility to raise your voice for change. That time has come,” added Universal Music Group on social media.

    Universal’s chairman, Sir Lucian Grainge, also issued a memo to staff laying out plans for a task force, headed by chief counsel Jeff Harleston, to “accelerate our efforts in areas such as inclusion and social justice”.

    “We must do more and now is the time to do it – and to do it with an unprecedented sense of urgency,” he wrote.

    “Even more importantly, we must commit ourselves not merely for this week, but we must continue that commitment – without let-up – in the months and years ahead.”

    The British record industry’s trade body, the BPI, also confirmed it would participate in the “Blackout Tuesday”.

    “Like many of our members, we will suspend normal business tomorrow,” it said in a statement.

    “Our staff will share in this moment to reflect on the recent tragic events, stand in solidarity with all those who suffer discrimination and encourage our leaders across the world to act.

    Disclaimer : “Opinions expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author(s) and do not in any way reflect those of tigpost.co. Our outfit will hereby not be liable for any inaccuracies contained in this article.”

    Source: bbc.com

  • Diaspora African Forum demands justice for George Floyd

    The Diaspora African Forum has petitioned the United States of America (USA) government to arrest and prosecute all four police officers who were caught on video manhandling George Floyd at Minneapolis, USA, resulting in his death.

    The Forum further called on the USA government to seek a drastic change in systemic policies which oppresses and suppresses African-Americans and violates their human rights.

    The petition, signed by members of the Diaspora community in Ghana, some Ghanaians and civil rights activists and presented to the USA Ambassador to Ghana, Stephanie Sanders Sullivan, in Accra yesterday further urged the American government to put in place measures that protect the lives of African-Americans and other minorities or risk losing its global status as a model of democracy and freedom.

    In brief remarks ahead of the presentation, Rabbi Kohain H. Halevi, Convener, Universal Pan African Diaspora Coalition of Ghana, said it was time to end growing killings of African-Americans by police officers and white supremacists.

    He said, for far too long, the USA government and laws have failed to protect them from hateful executions and other racially-motivated actions stating that “we have brought ourselves to a new level of consciousness and responsibility to end this terror.”

    According to him, African-Americans have been convicted guilty because of their clout and origin, resulting in senseless executions and cycle of pain on families and the larger society.

    Although the Forum was against any form of violence, Rabbi Halevi explained that years of suppression, pain and lack of equality accounted for the anger and violence that has characterised the ongoing protests across the USA.

    “After 400 years of slavery, we will not remain silent for this to continue. We want a different ending to this script. Africans demand a new deal from the world after years of oppression. We will continue to honour our fallen heroes and solidarise with our brothers in the USA,” he noted.

    Ambassador Erieka Bennet, Head of Mission, Africa Diaspora Forum, stated that Africans have for years faced terror and oppression as well as constant human rights abuses owing to their skin colour and not illegalities as it was mostly misreported.

    He said African-Americans would demand for justice now and commit to fighting inequality.

    The Chief Executive Officer of Diaspora Network Television, Jermaine Nkrumah advised Africans to change the narrative of Africans by first respecting the African race and create opportunities that would spur other Africans to flourish economically and socially.

    “First of all, we all have a role to play in changing the narrative about Africans. And this involves showing respect to the black race and just as we have done to other races. The new mantra going forward is respect,” he added.

    Mr Akwasi Agyeman, Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Tourism Authority reiterated calls on Africans to demand for justice and promote solidarity toward ending inequity.

     

    Source: ghanaiantimes.com.gh

  • President Akufo-Addo condemns police killing of unarmed black man in the U.S

    President of the Republic of Ghana Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has joined the global call for justice for the late African-American, George Floyd who died in Powderhorn, a neighborhood south of downtown Minneapolis.

    Unarmed George Floyd was killed by a white police officer for an offense best known to same on May 25, 2020.

    President Akufo-Addo expressed his displeasure about how the United States of America, which is the beacon of Democracy in the world, still continues to battle racism in the 21st century.

    Nana Akufo-Addo took to his Facebook page to join people who are seeking justice globally for the late George Floyd.

    “Black people, the world over, are shocked and distraught by the killing of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, by a white police officer in the United States of America. It carried with it an all too painful familiarity and an ugly reminder.”

    “It cannot be right that, in the 21st century, the United States, this great bastion of democracy, continues to grapple with the problem of systemic racism.”

    “On behalf of the people of Ghana, I express my deep condolences to the family and loved ones of the late George Floyd.”

    “We stand with our kith and kin in America in these difficult and trying times, and we hope that the unfortunate, tragic death of George Floyd will inspire a lasting change in how America confronts head-on the problems of hate and racism.” Akufo-Addo wrote.

  • Music industry pledges anti-racist ‘black out Tuesday’

    Major music industry labels are pledging to halt business Tuesday, in solidarity with anti-racist demonstrators demanding structural social change and an end to police brutality.

    Atlantic Records, Capitol Music Group, Warner Records, Sony Music and Def Jam were among the many organizations vowing that #TheShowMustBePaused, as mass protests have rocked US streets for days following the killing of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, at the hands of police in Minneapolis.

    “It’s hard to know what to say because I’ve been dealing with racism my entire life. That said, it’s rearing its ugly head right now & by God it’s time to deal with it once & for all,” the legendary producer Quincy Jones said in a statement.

    “As gatekeepers of the culture, it’s our responsibility to not only come together to celebrate the wins, but also hold each up during a loss.”

    Columbia Records emphasized Tuesday “is not a day off” but rather a moment to “figure out ways to move forward in solidarity.”

    “Perhaps with the music off, we can truly listen.”

    Many labels also committed donations to civil rights advocacy organizations.

    Largely peaceful marches nationwide voicing fury at racist police brutality repeatedly turned violent over the weekend, as police used tear gas, pepper spray and flash bang grenades to control crowds amid outbreaks of looting.

    The music industry blackout comes after dozens of celebrities including Rihanna, Beyonce, Jay-Z, Dr. Dre, Taylor Swift, Cardi B, Billie Eilish and Killer Mike have voiced anger and solidarity as actor Jamie Foxx and pop superstar Ariana Grande joined advocacy marches.

    Actor John Cusack, who joined protests in Chicago, tweeted that police had hit him with a baton as he attempted to film a burning car.

    “For the last few days, the magnitude of devastation, anger, sadness I’ve felt has been overwhelming to say the least! Watching my people get murdered and lynched day after day pushed me to a heavy place in my heart!” said Rihanna on Instagram.

    Beyonce posted a video saying “we all witnessed his murder in broad daylight … We’re broken and we’re disgusted. We cannot normalize this pain.”

    She urged signatures to a petition demanding #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd, which the platform Change.org said became the largest in its history.

    The superstar’s mogul husband Jay-Z said via his Roc Nation company that he had spoken with Minnesota governor Tim Walz and applauded the appointment of the state’s attorney general Keith Ellison to handle prosecutions in the Floyd case.

    “I am human, a father and a black man in pain,” said the rapper born Shawn Carter.

    “I am more determined to fight for justice than any fight my would-be oppressors may have,” he continued. “I prevail on every politician, prosecutor and officer in the country to have the courage to do what is right.”

    “Have the courage to look at us as humans, dads, brothers, sisters and mothers in pain and look at yourselves.”

    Disclaimer : “Opinions expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author(s) and do not in any way reflect those of tigpost.co.

     

    Source: france24.com

  • Liverpool take a knee as sport stars speak out over Floyd death

    Liverpool players took a knee around the centre circle at Anfield in a message of support following the death in police custody of African-American George Floyd in Minneapolis.

    The picture featuring 29 Reds players came with the caption “Unity is strength. #BlackLivesMatter”.

    Players reportedly requested the picture during training on Monday.

    England internationals Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho added their voices to worldwide protests against racism.

    Protests have been held after Floyd, an unarmed black man, died on 25 May after being restrained by white Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who kneeled on his neck for almost nine minutes to pin him down.

    Chauvin has since been charged with his murder and sacked.

    Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick first protested against racial injustice and police brutality by kneeling down during the United States national anthem in the summer of 2016. Since then, that gesture has become symbolic to the Black Lives Matter movement.

    Manchester United and England footballer Rashford said he had been “trying to process what is going on in the world”.

    He added: “At a time I’ve been asking people to come together, work together and be united, we appear to be more divided than ever.

    “People are hurting and people need answers. Black lives matter. Black culture matters. Black communities matter. We matter.”

    Liverpool players that tweeted the same picture and message included defenders Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez, full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum, as well as James Milner and Andrew Robertson.

    British 200m world champion sprinter Dina Asher-Smith had tweeted on Thursday: “Racism, police brutality… all of this is something we all have to be vocal about. Irrespective of our race or nationality.

    “RIP George Floyd. Heartbreaking and sickening to have to be saying RIP to another black person in these circumstances.”

    On Sunday, England footballer Sancho unveiled a “Justice for George Floyd” T-shirt after scoring for Borussia Dortmund against Paderborn and Marcus Thuram took a knee after scoring for Borussia Monchengladbach.

    Liverpool striker Rhian Brewster and tennis stars Serena Williams, Coco Gauff and Naomi Osaka also spoke out about Floyd’s death.

    Source: bbc.com

  • George Floyd’s brother condemns violence and calls for peace

    George Floyd’s younger brother, Terrence, has condemned violent protests continuing across the US, stressing that George stood for peace.

    “I’m outraged, too. Sometimes I get angry. I want to go crazy. My brother wasn’t about that. You’ll hear a lot of people saying, ‘He was a gentle giant’,” Terrence told ABC News.

    He said he would go later on Monday to the site in Minneapolis where his brother was last seen alive to “let people know, just channel your anger elsewhere”.

    Terrence said he wanted to see charges of first-degree murder brought against the police officer seen kneeling on his brother’s neck. Other officers who were at the scene should be charged as well, he said.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Justice for Floyd : Police officers kneel to beg for forgiveness

    There has been a recent outrage on social media and massive destructive protests in Minneapolis and some states over the brutal murder of the late George Floyd.

    George Floyd was murdered by some police officers, with one kneeling on his neck while he gasped and pleaded for air. He continued to cry “I can’t breathe” but his plea did not compel the police officer to loosen his ‘grip’ on his neck. This level of inhumaness was interpreted as racist.

    Since the death of George Floyd, there have been protests involving burning of houses and properties to plead for justice for Floyd. Social media has been flooded with tags such as #blacklivesmatter and #justiceforFloyd.

    It seems our cry has got to the ears of the security personnels as they have openly knelt in front of protesters to accept the fault of one of their own and to ask for forgiveness.

    This act has been warmly welcomed by protesters. We hope it is a step in a direction towards ending hate killing of blacks.

    Below are some photos from the scene:

    We hope this means an end to police brutality against black on “white” soil.

    What do you also think of their act? Is it genuine? Are they worth forgiving? Or they did it to calm down the anger among protesters.

    Source: opera.com

  • George Floyd death: Lawyer calls it ‘premeditated murder’

    A lawyer for the family of George Floyd, whose death sparked unrest across the US, has accused a police officer of “premeditated murder”.

    Minneapolis policeman Derek Chauvin has been charged with third-degree murder, but lawyer Benjamin Crump told CBS news it was a case of first-degree murder.

    “We think that he had intent… almost nine minutes he kept his knee in a man’s neck that was begging and pleading for breath,” he said.

    Several US cities have imposed curfews.

    The Floyd case has reignited US anger over police killings of black Americans. It follows the high-profile cases of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Eric Garner in New York and others that have driven the Black Lives Matter movement.

    “The fact that officer Chauvin kept his knee on his neck for almost three minutes after he was unconscious. We don’t understand how that was not first degree murder. We don’t understand how all these officers haven’t been arrested,” lawyer Crump said.

    Three other officers present at the time have also since been sacked.

    For many the outrage over George Floyd’s death also reflects years of frustration over socioeconomic inequality and segregation, not least in Minneapolis itself.

    In video footage, Mr Chauvin can be seen kneeling on Mr Floyd’s neck for several minutes on Monday. Mr Floyd repeatedly says that he is unable to breathe.

    Source: bbc.com

  • George Floyd: Twitter changes its profile to honour Black Lives Matter amid protests

    Twitter has changed its profile on the microblogging site to support the Black Lives Matter movement.

    Twitter changed its profile picture and backdrop in addition to adding the official “#BlackLivesMatter” hashtag to its bio.

    Violent erupted in cities across the United States over the death of George Floyd, a black Minnesota man who was killed by a white Minneapolis police officer.

    It was previously reported clashed with police in the United States following the death of an unarmed black man after a white officer knelt on his neck during an arrest.

    Footage of the restraint was shared widely online after a bystander filmed the policeman pinning the shirtless suspect, George Floyd, to the ground in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

    A report by Washington Post showed the four officers involved in the arrest have since been fired with the city’s mayor Jacob Frey saying that was the right call.

    Demonstrators took to the streets where Floyd died, with some chanting and carrying banners that read “I can’t breathe”- the last words the man said before dying.

    They marched towards a police station where windows and a patrol car were damaged and graffiti sprayed on the building.

    Twitter changed its profile to honor Black Lives Matter amid ...

    Source: yen.com.gh