Racial Unrest in the U.S

Why in news?

The United States is witnessing widespread protests against the recent death of George Floyd, a black man, by the action of police.

What led to the protests?

Floyd, an unarmed black man, died in the hands of Minneapolis police.
Derek Chauvin, the police officer filmed kneeling on Floyd’s neck, was arrested soon after.
He was charged with murder and manslaughter.
Demonstrations erupted in cities across the U.S. in response to the death of George Floyd.
Another such issue took place in 2014 with the shooting death of a black 18-year-old, Michael Brown, by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri.

How prevalent were the protests?

The anger in response to Floyd’s killing descended into rioting and looting in several cities.
Protests have erupted in at least 140 cities across the U.S. in the days after Floyd's death.
Violence spread overnight despite curfews in several major cities rocked by civil unrest in recent days.
The sight of protesters flooding streets fuelled a sense of crisis in the U.S. after weeks of lockdowns due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The closely packed crowds and many demonstrators not wearing masks sparked fears of a resurgence of COVID-19.
Police fired rubber bullets and tear gas in many cities.
In London too, hundreds of protesters took to Trafalgar Square chanting “no justice, no peace.”
A crowd descended on the U.S. Embassy in Berlin too, calling for the police officers to face justice.

What controversy did Trump trigger?

Besides protests, President Donald Trump let himself into the controversy.
He triggered a broader debate on censorship of posts by social media platforms.
The Twitter masked and attached a caution note to a tweet by Mr. Trump for “glorifying violence”.
In the tweet, he had labelled protesters calling for action against police for Floyd’s death “THUGS”.
He added, “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.”
[This comes as a reference to a threat by a police chief, who in 1967 declared “war” and vowed violent revenge on African-Americans in Miami Beach.]
This is hardly the first time that the U.S. President has spread messages of hatred.
He has said, among other things, that Mexicans were rapists and drug dealers.
In early 2017, he banned visitors from certain Muslim-majority countries.

What does this demand?

Such an agenda, focused on the complete reform of government institutions toward supporting a pluralist ethos is crucial now.

Source: The Hindu