On May 25, Minneapolis police officers arrested George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, after a deli employee called 911 accusing him of buying cigarettes with a counterfeit $20 bill. A few minutes later, Floyd was lying unconscious pinned underneath three police officers and showed no signs of life. Floyd died gasping for breath while a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, pressed his knee on the handcuffed man’s neck.
This racist action by police has led to nationwide protests in the United States that has been a global focus. The world has in the past grappled deeply with racism issues that were majorly fought down by crusader Martin Luther King Jr. These intermittent flashes of such behavior show how human beings still possess that trait. The sports fraternity too has in the past suffered from racism and several stars stood up to support Floyd’s case. We take a look at some.
Liverpool
The club returned to training recently after a global lockdown saw the Premier League interrupted for a while. The players joined the ‘Black Lives Matter’ protests with James Milner, Virgil van Dijk and Andy Robertson tweeting pictures of the squad on one knee around the centre circle at Anfield.
Jadon Sancho & Achraf Hakimi
Borussia Dortmund players Jadon Sancho and Achraf Hakimi both displayed ‘Justice for George Floyd’ messages by removing their jerseys after scoring against Paderborn. They were both shown yellow cards, but the Bundesliga later said that players will not be sanctioned for the protests.
Marcus Thuram
Borussia Moncheglabadh’s Marcus Thuram went down on one knee after scoring earlier on Sunday in tribute to Floyd. Thuram accepted the congratulations of his team-mates after scoring during the 4-1 win over Union Berlin, and dropped to his knee for five seconds with his head bowed.
Floyd Mayweather
Boxing great Floyd Mayweather has offered the Floyd family to pay for funerals and memorial services for Floyd which has reportedly been accepted.
Lewis Hamilton
F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton said he is “completely overcome with rage” about racial injustice in the wake of the death of George Floyd. Hamilton also called out F1 as a ‘white-dominated industry’ that remains silence on racism. Meanwhile Bernie Ecclestone has supported Hamilton, saying racism hasn’t gone away.
Chris Gayle
West Indies opener Chris Gayle on Monday recently said racism is not there only in football but in cricket also. ““Black lives matter just like any other life! Black people matters. P***k all racists people. Stop taking black people for fools! Even our own black people, wise tha P***k up and stop bringing down your own ffs!!!” Gayle wrote in his Instagram story.
LeBron James
NBA legend Lebron James shared an image on his Instagram account of George Floyd alongside Colin Kaepernick kneeling with the message, “Do you understand NOW! Or is it still blurred to you?”
He also posted another picture of himself wearing ‘I can’t breathe’ on Instagram with the caption, ‘Why doesn’t America love us’, asked an angry Lebron James on social media.
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