Beyoncé has shared a message saying she is “broken and disgusted” by George Floyd’s death, along with a call to action for anyone who feels helpless.
Beyoncé is the latest celebrity to speak out about the death of George Floyd, the African American man who died after a white police officer kneeled on his neck as he struggled to breathe.
Although the officer, Derek Chauvin, was charged for third-degree murder and manslaughter, The Hennepin County Medical Examiner has said there are “no physical findings that support a diagnosis of traumatic asphyxia or strangulation” in the preliminary results of Floyd’s autopsy.
Following this news, Beyoncé has shared a video on Instagram calling for justice for Floyd.
“We all witnessed his murder in broad daylight,” she said, referring to the viral video showing Floyd begging for Chauvin to let him breathe.
“We’re broken and we’re disgusted. We cannot normalise this pain. I’m not only speaking to people of colour. If you’re white, black, brown, or anything in between, I’m sure you feel hopeless by the racism going on in America right now.”
“No more senseless killings of human beings,” she continued. “No more seeing people of colour as less than human. We can no longer look away. George is all of our family in humanity. He’s our family because he’s a fellow American.
“There have been too many times that we’ve seen these violent killings and no consequences. Yes, someone has been charged but justice is far from being achieved.”
Beyoncé then asked fans to “pray for peace, compassion and healing” and to sign a petition to demand more change. She linked to several petitions in her profile. Here they are:
Justice for George Floyd Change.org
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
Rihanna has also shared a message calling for justice, saying “the magnitude of devastation, anger, sadness I’ve felt has been overwhelming to say the least”.
Alongside a photo of Floyd, she added: “Watching my people get murdered and lynched day after day pushed me to a heavy place in my heart. To the point of staying away from socials, just to avoid hearing the blood curdling agony in George Floyd’s voice again, begging over and over for his life.”
People are still continuing to protest in response to Floyd’s death.
Images: Getty
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