UNITED STATES: Remembering George Floyd
On May 25, the people of Minneapolis, the United States, and the world acknowledged a somber anniversary.
That day marked one year to the day that George Perry Floyd, Jr., a black man accused of using a fake $20 bill, was accosted by four police officers. During the dispute, now-former officer Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd’s neck for what was initially believed to be 8 minutes and 46 seconds. Later, a trial determined that the heinous act actually took 9 minutes and 29 seconds.
That nation was outraged, with protests – some peaceful and others not – everywhere; not just in the United States, but all around the world. Many made calls to defund the police, while also saying the names of other innocent black people who lost their lives, like Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery.
All of the officers were promptly fired, with Chauvin later arrested and brought up on charges of unintentional second-degree murder; third-degree murder; and second-degree manslaughter. On April 20, 2021, the 12 jurors overseeing his trial found the disgraced 45-year-old guilty on all three counts. His bail was immediately revoked, and he was remanded into the custody of the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office.
Additionally, Chauvin and the other fired Minneapolis Police Department officers, Tou Thao, 35; J. Alexander Kueng, 27; and Thomas Lane, 38, were hit with federal civil rights crimes for their roles in Floyd’s death.
In remembering the fateful day, President Joseph Biden released the following statement:
“Today, in the Oval Office, I met with George Floyd’s family.
“Although it has been one year since their beloved brother and father was murdered, for the family – for any family experiencing a profound loss – the first year can still feel like they got the news a few seconds ago. And they’ve had to relive that pain and grief each and every time those horrific 9 minutes and 29 seconds have been replayed.
“Yet the Floyd family has shown extraordinary courage, especially his young daughter Gianna, who I met again today. The day before her father’s funeral a year ago, Jill and I met the family and she told me, “Daddy changed the world.” He has.
“His murder launched a summer of protest we hadn’t seen since the Civil Rights era in the ‘60s – protests that peacefully unified people of every race and generation to collectively say enough of the senseless killings.
“Last month’s conviction of the police officer who murdered George was another important step forward toward justice. But our progress can’t stop there.
“To deliver real change, we must have accountability when law enforcement officers violate their oaths, and we need to build lasting trust between the vast majority of the men and women who wear the badge honorably and the communities they are sworn to serve and protect. We can and must have both accountability and trust and in our justice system.
“The negotiations on the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act in Congress are ongoing. I have strongly supported the legislation that passed the House, and I appreciate the good-faith efforts from Democrats and Republicans to pass a meaningful bill out of the Senate. It’s my hope they will get a bill to my desk quickly.
“We have to act. We face an inflection point. The battle for the soul of America has been a constant push and pull between the American ideal that we’re all created equal and the harsh reality that racism has long torn us apart.
“At our best, the American ideal wins out. It must again.”
EUROPE: BLM Activist Shot
A prominent Black Lives Matter activist lies in critical condition after being shot in the head.
Information is still scarce, but Sasha Johnson, 27, was shot in Peckham, London during the early hours of May 23. Police arrived on the scene after reports of gunshots in the area, and found Johnson there.
The activist was taken by ambulance to a south London hospital where she remains in critical condition. Her family have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers.
A release from the Metropolitan Police had the following: “Detectives from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command (Trident) have been conducting urgent enquiries at the scene of the incident and in the surrounding area throughout the day and are pursuing a number of priority lines of enquiry.
“It is believed that the shooting occurred in the vicinity of a house where a party was taking place and that a number of people may have been in the area.
“While the investigation is at an early stage, there is nothing to suggest that the woman who was shot was the subject of a targeted attack or that she had received any credible threats against her prior to this incident.
“Officers are very keen to hear from anyone who was at the party and who has not yet spoken to police.
“Detective Chief Inspector Jimi Tele said, ‘This was a shocking incident that has left a young woman with very serious injuries. Our thoughts are with her family who are being provided with support at this terribly difficult time.
‘A dedicated team of detectives is working tirelessly to identify the person or persons responsible for this shooting. They are making good progress but they need the public’s help.
‘If you saw anything suspicious in the Consort Road area in the early hours of Sunday morning or if you have heard information since that could help detectives, it is crucial that you get in touch.
‘Finally, I recognise that this incident will have shocked those in the local community and further afield. I would ask people to avoid speculating as to the motive or the circumstances behind it. If anyone does have information, the most responsible and helpful action is to share it with the police or, to remain anonymous, with Crimestoppers.’”
Belarus Snatches: Journalist
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has strongly condemned the arbitrary detention of an opposition journalist in Belarus, calling it an “astonishing episode” that heralds a new phase in the campaign of repression against journalists and civil society there.
On May 23, Roman Protasevich was flying on a Ryanair jet from Greece to Lithuania which was forcibly diverted to the Belarusian capital Minsk, “apparently under false pretenses and with the express purpose of capturing him,” said OHCHR spokesperson Rupert Colville.
The manner, through threat of military force, in which Mr. Protasevich was abducted from the jurisdiction of another State and brought within that of Belarus, “was tantamount to an extraordinary rendition,” he added.
Mr. Colville said that such blatant abuse of power against a journalist for exercising his rights that are protected under international law merited the strongest condemnation possible.
Calling for his immediate release, the spokesperson described Mr. Protasevich’s detention and the circumstances surrounding it as an “astonishing episode” that constitutes a new phase in the country’s campaign of repression against journalists and civil society in general.
He explained that penalizing a journalist just for being critical of the government went against freedom of expression and is a violation of Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
“Under human rights law, the mere act of organizing a peaceful assembly should never be criminalized under domestic laws, including counterterrorism laws, and the arrest or detention of someone as punishment for the legitimate exercise of their rights to freedom of opinion and expression and freedom of assembly, is considered arbitrary,” Mr. Colville underscored.
He added that the arbitrary arrest is a sign of an extremely worrying escalation in the crackdown of dissenting voices, not just of journalists but also of Belarusian human rights defenders and other civil society actors, including those living abroad.
The spokesperson emphasized as well that the forced landing of the Ryanair plane terrorized passengers on board and exposed them to unnecessary danger, in violation of their human rights.
MIDDLE EAST: The Fighting Has Stopped … For Now
The UN chief has welcomed the ceasefire declared between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas, following 11 days of rocket and air attacks, which have left more than 240 reportedly dead and thousands injured, the majority in the occupied Palestinian enclave of Gaza.
Secretary-General António Guterres made a statement to reporters at UN Headquarters in New York, a few minutes before the negotiated ceasefire was due to take effect.
“I welcome the ceasefire between Gaza and Israel, after 11 days of deadly hostilities,” he said, extending his deepest condolences to all the victims of the violence, and their loved ones, across Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.
According to latest news reports, at least 232 Palestinians, including more than 60 children have been killed since violence erupted across the Gaza-southern Israeli border on Monday. At least 12 were killed in Israel, as Hamas and other extremist groups unleashed indiscriminate rocket fire, sometimes deep into Israeli territory.
“I commend Egypt and Qatar for the efforts carried out, in close coordination with the UN, to help restore calm to Gaza and Israel,” the UN chief added, calling on all sides to observe the ceasefire.
Mr. Guterres said it was essential for the wider international community to work with the UN, to develop “an integrated, robust package of support for a swift, sustainable reconstruction and recovery, that supports the Palestinian people and strengthens their institutions.”
Meanwhile, the humanitarian community has welcomed the ceasefire agreed in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel but warned that the destruction in Gaza will take years, if not decades, to fix.
Speaking from Gaza, Matthias Schmale from the UN relief agency for Palestinians UNRWA, said that there was no “going back to normal” in the enclave, after more than 10 days of rocket fire and airstrike exchanges between the warring parties that have killed more than 250 people and injured thousands.
“Going back to normal life means having to watch very carefully where we are going; unexploded devices, we know that at least one school, one of our 278 schools, where we have established two deeply buried bombs, and we have alerted the Israeli authorities,” he said. “Obviously we cannot just rush back into our buildings and schools, we have to make sure they’re safe.”
The senior UNRWA official also noted that the Kerem Shalom crossing was due to open for several hours on Friday but that for the duration of the clashes, it had not been possible to get people out for medical treatment, or aid reinforcements in.
Mr. Schmale noted that UNRWA staff who are mainly residents of the region said that the violence had been “worse in intensity and terror than 2014,” before echoing the UN Secretary-General’s call for a meaningful political process to resolve the grievances of both Palestinians and Israelis.
“Normality here also means 50 percent employed and rising…I’m convinced after being here two and a half years that we will be back in war unless underlying causes are not addressed; and from a Gaza perspective that means giving people and especially young people a dignified perspective of a dignified life,”, he said.
“If you have your own money and take home your own money to buy food instead of depending on handouts from the UN,” the top UN official added, “you’re less likely to run into groupings like Hamas.”
It is expected that an inter-agency Flash Appeal for the occupied Palestinian territory will be issued next week.
