Former President Jerry John Rawlings has condemned the racist killing of George Floyd, a black American in Minnesota.
According to Mr. Rawlings, the act is unacceptable and must be condemned.
“If some of these atrocities, especially from some white police officers against black citizens, cannot shock the American populace to see evidence of their own decline, what can?
“How can a police officer be the source of such cruel, violent death with knee choking down a black man’s neck till he is motionless? And why do these cruelties end up in farcical trials that see the evil culprits escape justice and capital punishment?!,” he said.
George Floyd’s racist death
A black man, George Floyd, has been by a police officer in Minnesota.
A viral video of the incident shows the police officer pinning down George, believed to be in his 40s, to the pavement with his knee on the man’s neck for several minutes.
Despite resistance and several pleas from Floyd, requesting release of his neck, his pleas were not heeded by the police who asked him to “relax”.
Floyd eventually died from suffocation.
Although the cause of the act of the police is not known, the act has received a lot of backlash from persons all over the world, especially black Americans.
The incident has triggered protests by black Americans in America.
Black Americans in registering their displeasure embarked on a nationwide protest and set a police station in Minneapolis set ablaze during the third night of protests, BBC reports.
Rawlings’ reaction
Joining persons registering their displeasure against the act is Former President Rawlings who believes the act is a dent on the moral and political image of America.
According to him, “America’s moral and political image has seriously declined since the collapse of the bipolar world.”
Mr. Rawlings also said, “parts of the world have suffered tremendously as a result of America’s love of war and needless confrontations.”
He added that Americans should bow their heads in shame over the act.
“This is painful, this is sad. I implore every American citizen to watch the video. Shame on America, shame on America,” he said.
Source: Jessie Ola-Morris
