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Agence France-Presse

Americans on Sunday marked five years since George Floyd was killed by a US police officer, as US President Donald Trump backtracks on reforms designed to tackle racism.
Floyd’s deadly arrest on May 25, 2020 helped launch the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement into a powerful force that sought to resolve America’s deeply rooted racial issues, from police violence to systemic inequality.
But since Trump’s return to power in January – he was serving his first term when Floyd died – his administration has axed civil rights investigations and cracked down on diversity hiring initiatives.
BLM, meanwhile, finds itself lacking the support it enjoyed when protesters sprawled across US cities and abroad during the Covid-19 pandemic – with many now agreeing the movement achieved little of substance.

Some Democratic politicians, as well as United Nations rights chief Volker Turk, commemorated the anniversary on Sunday.
“As anti-racism, inclusion efforts & law enforcement reforms face serious setbacks, we must continue advocating for racial justice & equality globally – with greater determination & strength,” Turk wrote on social media.
A memorial event was held this weekend at what has been named George Floyd Square, the area of Minneapolis where the 46-year-old took his final breath as police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck during an arrest.
Dozens of people on Sunday visited the small junction set in a residential part of the northern US city, which is covered with protest art, including a purple mural that reads “You Changed the World, George”.
That optimistic message painted in 2020 is now, however, at odds with a president whose more extreme allies have suggested he pardon Chauvin, who was convicted of murdering Floyd and sentenced to more than 22 years in prison.
Some experts believe Trump’s re-election was partly a backlash to BLM activism, which included protests that turned to riots in some cities and calls to defund the police.

Floyd’s family members told Agence France-Presse on Friday that they wanted people to continue pushing for reform despite the hostile political climate.
“We don’t need an executive order to tell us that black lives matter,” said his aunt Angela Harrelson, who wore a dark T-shirt depicting Floyd’s face.
“We cannot let a setback be a holdback for the great comeback. Donald Trump just didn’t get the memo,” she added to nods from other relatives standing beside her.
Paris Stevens, a Floyd cousin, agreed: “No one can silence us any more”.
In Minneapolis, some people cried and others laid flowers or stuffed animals by the roadside spot where Floyd’s fatal arrest was filmed and shared around the world.
“George Floyd may be resting in peace and power, but he’s alive through everyone that shows up here,” WD Foster-Graham, a writer who grew up in the same neighbourhood, told Agence France-Presse on Sunday.

“It can be very easy to forget, but as one person to another, make sure we never forget and let those powers that be know we haven’t forgotten, and we’re not going away,” the 73-year-old said.
Jamie Dencklau, 30, said it was important to show that Floyd’s death was not just a “moment in time”.
But the charity worker from Minneapolis said she was upset about Trump, who has a track record of racially charged rhetoric and heavy support from far-right figures.
“It’s disheartening to see that our country has elected this individual as our president, and it really makes me question how important equity and inclusivity are to our community,” she said.
Memorial events have been held annually since Floyd’s death and the theme for this one – “The People Have Spoken” – was suggested by Nelson Mandela’s grandson Nkosi when he visited the square, according to Floyd’s aunt Harrelson.
She said the defiant title was meant to reflect five years of protesting, adding that “even though it’s tiresome, we go on”.


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Racism and other prejudice

George Floyd’s uncertain legacy marked in US 5 years on

Reverend Al Sharpton prays with family members of George Floyd on Sunday in Houston, Texas. Photo: AP

The location of George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis. Photo: AP

A candlelight vigil in Minneapolis on Sunday. Photo: AP

George Floyd in 2019. File photo: HenrySocialPhotos via AP

Inmate stabbed George Floyd’s killer Derek Chauvin 22 times with improvised knife

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin addresses the court in Minneapolis in June 2021. Photo: Court TV via AP

Trump ambushes South Africa’s Ramaphosa with false ‘white genocide’ claims

US President Donald Trump shows pictures and articles as he meets with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. Photo: AP

US President Donald Trump during the meeting with his South African counterpart. Photo: Reuters

A video being played in the Oval Office on Wednesday. Photo: EPA-EFE

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa watches a video during the meeting. Photo: AFP

Elon Musk at the Oval Office meeting. Photo: AP

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Victims Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim were employees at the Israeli embassy. Photo: TNS

Crime scene tape is stretched across the front of a building where shooting suspect Elias Rodriguez lived in Chicago on Thursday. Photo: AFP

A woman holds flowers and an Israeli flag in a sign of support outside the Capital Jewish Museum on Thursday. Photo: AFP

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Ruth Eleonora Lopez was detained on Sunday. Photo: Attorney General of El Salvador via Reuters

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News

World

United States & Canada

Police killing of black man George Floyd in 2020 prompted a national reckoning over race and police brutality


Police killing of black man George Floyd in 2020 prompted a national reckoning over race and police brutality.
