The United Nations rights chief has criticised “structural racism” in the United States.
The UN is urging the country’s leaders to “condemn racism unequivocally” and address the “deep-seated” grievances at the heart of the protests that have broken out in hundreds of cities following the police killing of another Black man.
George Floyd died on May 25 after being pinned to the ground by a white police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The officer knelt on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes, even as the unarmed Black man pleaded “I can’t breathe”.
Most of the demonstrations that have since spread across the US to denounce police racism have been peaceful. And while there have also been incidents of violence, some officers have been accused of making things worse by employing aggressive tactics that have prompted further allegations of brutality.
