Boris Johnson’s comments echo those of British police chiefs Wednesday (File)
London:
Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday condemned the murder of George Floyd by police in the United States, but declined to say whether he had discussed the matter with his main ally Donald Trump.
“I think what happened in the United States was appalling, inexcusable,” said Johnson to parliamentarians in his first public comment on the case.
“We have all seen it on our screens and I fully understand people’s right to protest what happened,” he added.
“Obviously, I also think that the protests should take place in a legal and reasonable manner.”
But Johnson avoided answering questions about whether he had raised the issue with the president, as Britain is considering a trade deal with the United States after Brexit.
Floyd, an unarmed African American, died last week after a police officer in the American city of Minneapolis knelt on his neck, an incident captured on video by a witness. The subject officer was charged with third degree murder.
The murder sparked angry and sometimes violent protests in cities across the country and around the world.
Johnson’s comments echoed those of British police chiefs on Wednesday.
“We stand by everyone around the world who is dismayed and horrified by the way George Floyd lost his life,” they said in a joint statement.
“Justice and responsibility should follow.
“We are also dismayed to see the violence and damage that has occurred in so many American cities since then.”
Police chiefs have called on the British to “work with the officers” as protests mount against Floyd’s murder, just as the national foreclosure of coronaviruses is being eased.
“Difficult time”
Hundreds of people braved virus restrictions and gathered in the British capital on Sunday, including outside the U.S. Embassy and in Hyde Park.
Metropolitan police said they had arrested 23 people and imposed 10 other fines for breaking the rules.
Demonstrations have also taken place in other cities, including Liverpool and Manchester, and more are expected on Wednesday.
In their statement, the chiefs of police said they understood that “people want their voices heard” but asked them “to work with the police during this difficult time”.
“The right to demonstrate legally is a key element of any democracy, which the British police defend and facilitate,” they added.
“But coronavirus remains a deadly disease and there are still restrictions in place to prevent its spread, including not gathering outside in groups of more than six people.”
Britain has its own history of racism in the police, with a historic report from 1999 noting “institutional racism” in the London police force.
The report was commissioned after the racist murder of a black teenager, Stephen Lawrence, at a bus stop in south London in 1993.
The police investigation was marred by a catalog of failures that saw no one convicted until 2012.
Despite reform programs, a 2015 study by the Runnymede Trust, an educational charity which aims to promote a successful multiethnic Britain, found that “systemic and institutional racism persists” in British police.
“Britain is no stranger to racialized police violence,” he noted.
“Blacks and ethnic minorities are disproportionately represented in the criminal justice system at all levels, from arrest to arrest and search, including imprisonment, to deaths in custody.”
(This story has not been edited by GalacticGaming staff and is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
