Page 29 - Issue 9

World

Floyd’s brother tells

UN ‘black lives do not

matter’ as UN staffers

Speak A mural in Minneapolis by Xena Goldman, Cadex Herrera,
Greta McLain, Niko Alexander, and Pablo Hernandez

n a passionate speech, Philonise Floyd around the world. was “to ensure the accountability of
Imade an impassioned speech via perpetrators and redress for victims”.
video-link to an urgent United Nations Philonise Floyd said his brother had
Human Rights Council debate on been “tortured to death” as witnesses In her statement to the council, Bachelet
“systemic racism” in the US and beyond. begged the officer to stop, “showing us said Floyd’s death had brought to head
black people the same lesson, yet again: the sense of outrage felt by overlooked
Philonise, George Floyd’s brother on 17 black lives do not matter in the United people and the protests were “the
June begged the United Nations to help States of America”. culmination of many generations of
African Americans because “black lives pain”.
do not matter in the United States”, as “You in the United Nations are your
the UN’s rights chief urged reparations brothers’ and sisters’ keepers in America, “Behind today’s racial violence, systemic
for centuries of discrimination. and you have the power to help us get racism, and discriminatory policing
justice for my brother George Floyd.” lies the failure to acknowledge and
Michelle Bachelet, the United Nations “I am asking you to help him. I am confront the legacy of the slave trade
High Commissioner for Human Rights, asking you to help me. I am asking you and colonialism,” the former Chilean
said the “gratuitous brutality” of Floyd’s to help us black people in America.” president said.
death in police custody encapsulated
racism that harmed millions of people He urged them to establish an She stressed the need to “make
of African descent. She urged countries independent international commission amends for centuries of violence and
to confront the legacy of slavery and of inquiry -- one of the UN’s highest- discrimination, including through
colonialism and to make reparations. level probes, generally reserved for formal apologies, truth-telling processes,
major crises like the Syrian conflict. and reparations in various forms.”
The council, based in Geneva, is
debating a draft resolution pushing for An initial text presented to the meeting Australia, South Korea and the
Bachelet to investigate racism and police on behalf of 54 African countries had Netherlands all issued statements in the
civil liberties violations against people proposed such an inquiry, but the chamber that were broadly supportive of
of African descent in the United States. proposal was dropped, the resolution Washington’s outlook.
President Donald Trump withdrew the heavily watered down following stark Meanwhile, more that 20 senior officials,
United States from the council two years opposition from Washington and some who are African or of African descent
ago. of its allies. have put their names to a personal
Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died in It now calls on Bachelet and UN rights and hard-hitting statement, expressing
Minneapolis on May 25 after a white experts to “establish the facts and outrage at pervasive and systematic
police officer -- since charged with circumstances relating to the systemic racism, UN News reported. Those
murder -- pressed his knee on Floyd’s racism, alleged violations of international who signed the statement include high
neck for nearly nine minutes. human rights law and abuses against profile heads of UN agencies, including
Africans and people of African descent” World Health Organization Director
Amateur video of the incident sparked by law enforcement in the US and General Tedros Adhanon, Ghabreyesus,
demonstrations and calls to address beyond -- especially those incidents and Executive Director of the UN joint
systemic racism in the United States and that resulted in deaths. The aim, it said, Programme of HIV/AIDs, Winnie

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