Friday, 29 March

George Floyd death: We stand with our kith and kin in US – Akufo-Addo

General News
Nana Akufo-Addo

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has commented on the death of George Floyd saying Ghanaians stand “with our kith and kin in America”.

According to Nana Akufo-Addo, 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.

In a Facebook post, Nana Akufo-Addo said he hopes the tragic death of George Floyd will inspire a lasting change in how America confronts head-on the problems of hate and racism. 

The full post read: “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.”

George Floyd, a black man in Minneapolis, died on Monday, 25 May 2020 after a white police officer who has been identified as Derek Chauvin, knelt on his neck during his arrest.

The officer has since been arrested and charged with 3rd-degree murder and manslaughter.

The death of George Floyd, who told the white cop he could not breathe while he knelt on his neck, has sparked a week-long protest in the US.

Protesters in Minneapolis have clashed with police burning houses, police stations, vehicles and looting.

The protest has stretched to New York, Atlanta and Portland where thousands gather without recourse to social-distancing in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

The protestors are demanding that three other police officers who were involved in the incident be arrested, too, and made to face the law.

This is not the first time an unarmed black man has been killed by a white cop in US.

Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Rayvon Martin among others are all black men killed by white police officers.

 

 

Source: classfmonline.com/Emmanuel Mensah