The George Floyd protests were a series of protests and riots beginning in the United States lasting from May to July 2020. The protests began after a white police officer murdered George Floyd, an unarmed New Afrikan, on May 25, 2020 in Minneapolis. Protests began the next day and the Minneapolis 3rd Precinct was burned down on May 28. The majority of people in the U.S. believed burning down the police station was justified.[1] At least 28 people died in the protests and over 16,000 were arrested.[2]
Causes
The protests were caused by police brutality and racism against Black people and the high unemployment rates caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.[3]
Repression
During the protests, police used tear gas, mace and pepper spray against the protestors.[4] Over 200 cities with a total population of 60 million were put under curfews.[5] President Donald Trump activated federal troops to suppress the uprisings[3] and 96,000 National Guard troops were mobilized in 34 states.[2] In addition to state forces, white supremacist groups including the Proud Boys, KKK, and Patriot Prayer assisted the police and attacked protestors.[5]
International protests
Although the protests were mainly in the United States, they also spread to other countries, including France,[6] Germany,[7] New Zealand,[8] Sri Lanka,[9] and the United Kingdom.[10]
Reactions
Domestic
U.S. government
President Donald Trump called the protestors "thugs" and encouraged the police and national guard to suppress the protests.[11] Former National Security Advisor Susan Rice blamed the Russian government for the protests on CNN.[12]
CPUSA
Communist Party USA called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of the police who killed George Floyd and said that the rebellion is the fault of institutional racism and not the protestors.[13]
FRSO
The Freedom Road Socialist Organization demanded convicting the white supremacist cops and community control of the police. They also stated that New Afrikans are an oppressed nation in the U.S.[13]
PCUSA
The Party of Communists USA condemned the white supremacist police.[13]
PSL
The Party for Socialism and Liberation condemned the killing of George Floyd and advocated for the arrest and imprisonment of all the cops involved. They also stated that the FBI's investigation of Floyd's death would not help because the FBI is a white supremacist organization.[13]
WWP
Workers World, the newspaper of the Workers World Party, supported the George Floyd protestors and said that people of color in the U.S. are neo-colonized peoples.[13]
International
China
Chinese UN representative Chen Xu expressed his condolences to George Floyd's family and said that Black lives matter.[14]
Iran
The Iranian government threatened to sanction the United States for its treatment of Black people.[15]
References
- ↑ Matthew Impelli (2020-06-03). "54 Percent of Americans Think Burning Down Minneapolis Police Precinct Was Justified After George Floyd's Death" Newsweek. Archived from the original on 2022-05-10. Retrieved 2022-06-06.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Arturo Castillon, Shemon Salam (2021-04-19). "The Revolutionary Meaning of the George Floyd Uprising" Monthly Review. Archived from the original on 2022-06-14. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "On the Uprisings in the United States" (2020-06-04). Leading Light Communist Organization. Archived from the original on 2020-10-10. Retrieved 2022-06-06.
- ↑ Patrick Martin (2020-05-30). "Mass protests voice outrage over police murder of George Floyd" World Socialist Web Site. Archived from the original on 2021-02-28. Retrieved 2022-06-19.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Martin Schoots-McAlpine (2020-07-03). "Anatomy of a counter-insurgency: Efforts to undermine the George Floyd uprising" Monthly Review. Archived from the original on 2022-06-18. Retrieved 2022-07-04.
- ↑ Will Morrow (2020-06-15). "Tens of thousands protest in Paris against police killings of George Floyd and Adama Traoré" World Socialist Web Site. Archived from the original on 2021-09-02. Retrieved 2022-06-19.
- ↑ Jan Ritter, Noah Windstein (2020-06-05). "German protests in solidarity with George Floyd and against police violence" World Socialist Web Site. Archived from the original on 2021-04-20. Retrieved 2022-06-19.
- ↑ Tom Peters (2020-06-02). "Protests across New Zealand over US police murder of George Floyd" World Socialist Web Site. Archived from the original on 2022-06-17. Retrieved 2022-06-19.
- ↑ "Sri Lankan police violently suppress protest against the killing of George Floyd" (2020-06-12). World Socialist Web Site. Archived from the original on 2022-01-23. Retrieved 2022-06-19.
- ↑ Robert Stevens (2020-06-10). "UK: Johnson government demands police repression of George Floyd protests" World Socialist Web Site. Archived from the original on 2022-01-10. Retrieved 2022-06-19.
- ↑ Anthony Bertolt (2020-05-29). "Mass anger erupts throughout the US in protests against police murder of George Floyd" World Socialist Web Site. Archived from the original on 2021-06-23. Retrieved 2022-06-19.
- ↑ Alan Macleod (2020-06-01). "National Security “Experts” Blame Russia for the George Floyd Protests" MintPress News. Archived from the original on 2022-04-26. Retrieved 2022-09-11.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 "George Floyd's Murder: U.S. Communist and Left Parties in solidarity with the protesters" (2021-06-01). In Defense of Communism. Archived from the original on 2021-06-25. Retrieved 2022-06-06.
- ↑ "Brother of George Floyd urges UN probe into U.S. racism, violence" (2020-06-18). CGTN. Archived from the original on 2021-03-09. Retrieved 2022-07-04.
- ↑ Adam Lucente (2021-12-09). "Iran threatens sanctions against US over treatment of Black Americans" Al-Monitor. Archived from the original on 2022-06-02. Retrieved 2022-06-06.