Almost one month has passed since a black man, George Floyd, was murdered by the police in Minneapolis and with the outbreak of protests in this city, the sleeping sorrows in American people have turned into cry and it is going to get out of control. The American society is not all black but in the current condition that the media in line with the West try to show the protests an anti-racism one, the number of the white who have joined the protests is on the rise and the protests are now  limited to racism and discrimination.

IRAN NEWS POLITICAL DESK

In the U.S., racism has kicked off since the slavery era and today it has expanded to the gap between poverty and wealth. Even in this current protest and unrest condition that world people are anticipating any moment to hear fresh news like announcement of self-autonomy like what is happening in Seattle, the two almost ruling political parties in the U.S. went on conducting polls. In fact, holding such polls is just aimed at distracting the public minds from what they really are after . The U.S. research center Navigator has been able to rush to help the capitalists and industrialists in the U.S. in critical periods. The institute in two of its latest researches say, “88 percent of American people believe that their country is in critical condition and they blame Donald Trump and the White House’s inefficiency. At the same time, the Democrats with 96 percent and the black people with 90 percent believe that condition in the U.S. is critical and this crisis cannot be easily curbed.”

This research institute has published the result of another poll conducted in the worst political and social condition in which respondents had been asked with this question  which political party you agree the Republican or the Democrat. Hence, by creating such a distraction, 55 percent of the respondents to the question said they preferred the arrival of a new management and supported the Democrat candidate while 39 percent voted for the Republican candidate, Donald Trump, and 8 percent said that they preferred not to answer at this stage. Likely, they are waiting to see what will happen and what will be the fate of the people’s uprising in the U.S.

This is while after the murder of Floyd, people’s reaction to his death in different cities in the U.S. has been on the rise and we witness tougher reactions from Trump regarding the protestors. In these years,  that according to 90 percent of American people, the country has experienced different types of crises, several issues have worried them. The White House’s repeated lies have destroyed people’s trust.

The gap between the poor and the rich has widened unacceptably and the Coronavirus pandemic has turned into a total hell by itself and the U.S. political system has shown strange failure regarding this crisis.

The number of COVID-19 infected patients in the U.S. is higher than any country while almost all of the people in the world did not expect the U.S. to show such a feeble picture in tackling the virus. A recent video clip on poverty, hunger and people’s anger in the streets has gone viral, indicating one reality and it is the painting picture of the media from the Great Satan.

Even we believe that the U.S. is 90 percent in critical condition, it will mean that even if the White House officials change their approach and align with social gatherings, these crises will not be controllable at east in less than 6 months. Perhaps, the range of these crises would go beyond the U.S. and grip all the West and even Europe.  In such a condition, won’t it be difficult to seat and analyze the November presidential and Congress elections? With such ways and methods which do not give a damn to the people, which wise man will be ready to go to the poll stations? It has set a tough prediction ahead and we see the false walls of propagation collapsing.

 By: Hamid Reza Naghashian

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According To Iran News, As the US in engulfed in anti-racism protests following the brutal suffocation of black citizen George Floyd by a white policeman in Minneapolis on May 25, some analysts and politicians are of the opinion that Donald Trump, who is not hiding his racist tendencies, is seeking to use the situation to win the votes of the whites in the November elections.

Haissam Bou-Said, the commissioner for the West Asia at the International Human Rights Commission, is among those who say Trump is looking to the whites to win the elections in such a situation.
“President Trump is looking today to the upcoming elections and he believes that white voters will make a huge difference in the election, where he can easily beat his rival by adopting a racist behavior against the minorities,” Bou-Said tells the Tehran Times.

Following is the text of the interview:

George Floyd’s death has sparked protests across the US with demonstrators desperately calling for an end to police violence. What are the reasons for these protests?

First of all, we would like to underscore our deep sadness on the awful scene in the streets of American cities due to the crime committed by a police officer in Minneapolis.
This is not the first violent action against black Americans. It happens many times. And with the President Trump administration’s policies, it was expected to witness such a tragedy.
Black Americans are being deprived from many of their rights. They are also not welcomed in white societies in some districts. The feeling of white supremacy is well felt in the administration.

Trump’s threat to shoot Minneapolis protesters spurred Twitter to hide his tweet. What is your comment on Trump’s racist approach?
President Trump is looking today to the upcoming elections and he believes that white voters will make a huge difference in the election, where he can easily beat his rival by adopting a racist behavior against the minorities.
His tweet was considered to be unacceptable, therefore Twitter was obligated to take action as President Trump’s tweet goes against the rules of Twitter.

Which cultures or religions put more emphasis on the equality and justice and pay more attention to the rights of people with different colors and races?

It might sound strange to some of us who say that Muslim culture does not make a differentiation between people based on their races, skin or language. These are based on Quranic teachings.

Quran went even further by prohibiting such actions by emphasizing there is no difference in heaven based on race or color. For so doing, we believe that it’s imperative to start teaching the essential laws of Islam as a free will without imposing it on the Western communities. We need to show how great Islam is in this sense.

The United States has not been able to adapt to multiculturalism and attract immigrants, people of color or religious minorities. Please explain.

The components of the United States are based on multiculturalism as a general view. The fact is that the composition in some states are made of one race, where others are not acceptable to join. We can realize in some areas it is full of blacks or Chinese or Arabs and these races cannot live easily side by side due to their color, language or social life, despite the laws that ban discrimination against citizens.

We have also a distinguished type of works that are made for certain races and people with different colors. We can remember how the whole world was surprised by seeing Barack Obama taking the office at the White House and how mad other Americans became just because President Obama was not white. Asians and Arabs also are not welcomed in many white states, not only Africans.

Interview by Mohammad Mazhari

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According To Iran News, Celina Caesar-Chavannes, a Canadian politician expressed hoped that world can finally see the backside of Trump and applaud his exit.

George Floyd, an unarmed American black man died on May 25, 2020, after a police officer pressed his knee into his neck for several minutes even after he stopped moving and pleading for air.

His death by the US police has caused a ripple of protests throughout the US, turning the country into a battlefield between police and demonstrators. Rallies have turned violent in some US cities, where the police have fired tear gas and rubber bullets against the demonstrators.

US President Donald Trump threatened the use of force in dealing with protests against the death of George Floyd, referring to participants as “thugs” in a tweet that was later hidden by Twitter for “glorifying violence.”

But the former President Barack Obama issued a statement on Floyd’s killing via Twitter and pleaded for Americans to open their eyes to the ongoing racial injustice that plagues the country.

Growing unrest against police brutality across the country, Obama said to demonstrators that this moment is politically advantageous for protesters who are calling for widespread police reforms and large-scale institutional change.

Simultaneously with all the protests in the US, thousands of people of all colors, creeds, ages, and walks of life took to the streets across the world to show their anger over the racism and police brutality.

In an exclusive interview with Mehr News Agency, Celina R. Caesar-Chavannes, a Canadian politician and former Member of Parliament for the riding of Whitby in the House of Commons of Canada from 2015 to 2019, shared her views on the racial violence and police brutality in light of the brutal killing of George Floyd.

Following is the text of our interview with her:

Historically speaking, black people were brought to the US for slavery, and, as this has been against their will, these people have been involved in constant rebellion while the US security forces have been seeing them as a threat. Why the US policies have failed to change this perspective since the era of slavery has long passed as we are still seeing violence against African Americans?

US policies have failed, as they have in Canada, because of the structural and systemic nature of racismIn my opinion, US policies have failed, as they have in Canada, because of the structural and systemic nature of racism. Eradicating, through policy, a racist structure that was supported by the policy in the first place, is tough. Especially when those in power want to remain in power. The dehumanization of Black bodies has roots in the historical context that persists today. If Americans or Canadians are not willing to take new, and perhaps extraordinary measures to fix this problem, we will be protesting 30 years from now.

Where do you think these protests across the US will eventually lead? Do you see any hope for a change of behavior towards African Americans?

If nothing, there will be an awareness of the frustration and hurt of Black communities across North America and around the world. The protest will also allow those in power to see the power and strength of the community, and the power and strength of those willing to work with us. I hope to see a change in institutions, like policing that continue to disregard Black and Indigenous people, especially here in Canada. But I am also hoping to see other institutions change, like education, justice, and housing in which systemic racism plays a role in negative outcomes for Black communities.

Celina Caesar-Chavannes, former Whitby MP and parliamentary secretary to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, shook hands with former US President Barack Obama in Washington, D.C. on March 10, 2016

Former President Obama asked American people to continue protests until changes happen. What do you think of his viewpoint? We know racism has been institutionalized in the US so can this be useful to achieve the goals?

We need political will to advocate and create changeWe can continue to protest, but we are also very tired. We have been fighting as Black communities for over 400 years. When does that stop? Continuing to protest will not get us the outcomes we want. It will draw attention to some of the demands, but protesting isn’t everything. We need political will, where those representing us in political systems have the strength of conviction and support from the community to advocate and create change. We need courage in our school systems to change the outcomes for Black students. We need to prioritize budget to give adequate resources to programs and institutions that save our lives and remove money from institutions, like policing that destroy them.

Can these developments in the US affect Trump’s political fate in the upcoming Presidential election in the US?

I would hope so. I hope that Americans finally see their leader as the racist, inflammatory, bigot that he has always been. I hope the world can finally see the backside of Trump and applaud his exit. It’s about time.

Interview by Zahra Mirzafarjouyan & Payman Yazdani

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According To Iran News, New Yorkers stayed on the streets of New York City Thursday for another day of protests spurred by the death of George Floyd, including at a memorial service at the site where police used batons against demonstrators who were out past the city-imposed curfew the night before.

“You are not alone,” the large crowd at Brooklyn’s Cadman Plaza chanted before an emotional Terrence Floyd, wearing a mask and a T-shirt bearing his brother’s likeness, thanked them for their support of his brother, killed by Minneapolis police.

“I thank God for you all showing love to my brother,” he said, AP reported.

Of the demonstrations that have engulfed the city and the nation, and the violence that has taken place, he said, “I’m proud of the protests but I’m not proud of the destruction. My brother wasn’t about that. The Floyds are a God-fearing family.”

“Power to the people, all of us,” he said.

The memorial was part of a day of demonstrations around the city that once again continued past the city’s imposed curfew of 8 p.m., even as Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio sought to deflect criticism over harsh tactics from police enforcing it.

After curfew time, thousands of protesters were out, and so were police. In some places, they watched but didn’t immediately move in, while in others, they made orderly arrests without the batons and riot gear of previous nights.

Miguel Fernandes said there were “a lot more nights to go” of marching because protesters hadn’t got what they wanted.

“We’re still waiting for a conviction. We still haven’t gotten it,” Fernandes said. “All they’re doing is putting in charges. The system is not doing anything to make these guys pay for what they did.”

As darkness fell, cries of “George Floyd” and “No justice, no peace” continued to come from protesters, even as crowds shrank.

“It’s energetic,” said Kenyata Taylor. “It’s great to be alive, it’s history right now.

Demonstrators had been in Cadman Plaza, the site of Floyd’s memorial, on Wednesday night, when videos were taken of officers using batons and pepper spray on protesters who remained there after the curfew.

Both Democrats said they had not seen the widely shared videos, but later Cuomo tweeted that he was asking the state attorney general to investigate the incidents as part of her ongoing look into police tactics during the protests.

“Peaceful protest is a sacred American right,” Cuomo tweeted. “No peaceful protestor deserves to be hit with a baton and no self-respecting police officer would defend that.”

De Blasio spoke at the memorial, with the crowd booing and heckling from the moment he arrived, shouting over him as he urged that Floyd’s death not be in vain.

“We have too much to change in this city and this country,” the mayor said.

Even some of the speakers took shots at the mayor, criticizing his management of the NYPD and his administration’s response to the coronavirus.

Earlier, de Blasio said police have used “a lot of restraint” overall and added, “but if there’s anything that needs to be reviewed, it will be.”

NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea defended his officers and the department’s overall use of force.

The governor and mayor said protesters should abide by the 8 p.m. curfew put in place earlier this week to deter the violence, vandalism and destruction that followed protests Sunday and Monday nights.

Buffalo also enforced an 8 p.m. curfew Thursday night. Video from WBFO showed a Buffalo police officer appearing to shove a man who walked up to police clearing Niagara Square. The man falls straight backward and hits his head on the pavement, with blood leaking out as officers walk past.

Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said the unidentified man is 75 years old, and in “stable but serious” condition at a hospital, according to a statement released late Thursday in which the mayor said he was “deeply disturbed” by the video.

Buffalo police initially said in a statement that a person “was injured when he tripped & fell,” WIVB-TV reported, but Capt. Jeff Rinaldo later told the TV station that an internal affairs investigation was opened. Police Commissioner Byron Lockwood suspended two officers late Thursday, the mayor’s statement said.

Cuomo tweeted that the incident caught on video was “wholly unjustified and utterly disgraceful,” endorsing the officers’ suspension. The state attorney general’s office tweeted that they were aware of the video.

Calls and emails to Buffalo police from The Associated Press seeking comment weren’t immediately returned.

New York City’s first citywide curfew in decades is set to remain in effect through at least Sunday, with the city planning to lift it at the same time it enters the first phase of reopening after more than two months of shutdowns because of the coronavirus.

Wednesday night unfolded without the vandalism and smash-and-grab sprees that forced merchants around the city to board their stores up preemptively, but police said a man ambushed officers on an anti-looting patrol in Brooklyn shortly before midnight, stabbing him in the neck. The attacker was shot by responding officers and was in critical condition.

Two officers suffered gunshot wounds to their hands in the chaos, but all three wounded officers were expected to recover.

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According To Iran News, Three more former Minneapolis police officers were charged Wednesday in the death of George Floyd, five days after charges were brought against a fourth officer who was seen in a video kneeling on Floyd’s neck.

The three former officers, Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng, were charged with aiding and abetting murder, according to criminal complaints filed by the state of Minnesota. The murder charge against the fourth, Derek Chauvin, was also elevated to second-degree, from third-degree.

Chauvin, who held his knee on Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes while detaining him on May 25, was also initially charged Friday with manslaughter by the Hennepin County prosecutor. He still faces both the third-degree and manslaughter charges as well, according to an amended complaint.

All four officers were fired on May 26, after a video showing Floyd’s arrest went viral.

An attorney for Kueng said in a statement that the former officer turned himself in at about 1:35 p.m. local time. Kueng, Thao and Lane were all in custody with bail set at $1 million Wednesday night, according Hennepin County Jail Records.

All four of the men face a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, according to the criminal complaints.

The Minnesota Fraternal Order of Police did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the elevated murder charge against Chauvin or the charges filed against the other three officers Wednesday. It was not immediately clear if Lane and Thao had retained lawyers.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison asked the community for continued patience on Wednesday as his team of prosecutors investigate the case, noting that prosecution of police officers for such a charge is a difficult task.

“I feel a tremendous sense of weight, I feel that this is a very serious moment,” Ellison said. “I can tell you I feel no joy in this, but I do feel a tremendous sense of duty and responsibility.”

The attorney general insisted that public pressure was not a factor in his decision to elevate the murder charge or charge the other officers involved in the case.

Ellison explained Wednesday after the charges were announced that first-degree murder would require proving premeditation, which the facts do not support at the moment. Instead, his team will assert that Chauvin committed a felony assault which unintentionally resulted in Floyd’s death, which fits the requirements for second-degree murder, Ellison said.

“To the Floyd family, to our beloved community and to everyone that is watching, I say George Floyd mattered. He was loved,” Ellison said. “His family was important. His life had value and we will seek justice for him, and for you, and we will find it.”

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said in a statement that Wednesday’s developments were a significant step forward, but the anguish on display following Floyd’s death goes beyond a single incident.

“George Floyd’s death is the symptom of a disease,” Walz said. “We will not wake up one day and have the disease of systemic racism cured for us. This is on each of us to solve together, and we have hard work ahead.”

While certainly progress on civil rights have been made over the course of American history, Walz said in a press conference on Wednesday, he truly believes that this is the country’s “last shot” to fix these systemic issues.

“Progress didn’t keep George Floyd alive and progress didn’t keep those people out of the streets,” Walz said. “They’re not looking for just progress, they’re looking for transformational change.”

Multiple videos have been released on Floyd’s arrest, with one showing him pinned down by three different officers near a patrol car while a fourth stands near his head.

“Please, please, please, I can’t breathe,” Floyd begged in one video caught by a bystander. “My stomach hurts. My neck hurts. Please, please. I can’t breathe.”

He died while in custody that day.

Lane and Kueng were the first officers to arrive at scene that night, as they investigated a report that a possible counterfeit $20 bill had been passed at the Cup Foods grocery store, according to the complaint against Chauvin. When Lane found Floyd parked nearby, the officer pulled his gun, had Floyd get out of his car and handcuffed him, the complaint said.

A cuffed Floyd was eventually put face-down on the pavement with Kueng holding down his back and Lane pressing down his legs, the charging document against Chauvin said. While a distressed Floyd said “I can’t breathe,” “Mama” and “please” several times, Lane asked, “Should we roll him on his side?” according to prosecutors.

“No, staying put where we got him,” Chauvin responded, according to the complaint. “I am worried about excited delirium or whatever,” Lane allegedly said. “That’s why we have him on his stomach” Chauvin responded, according to the complaint.

Several minutes later, Kueng checked Floyd’s right wrist for a pulse and allegedly said, “I couldn’t find one.”

Hundreds of people were gathered at the memorial outside the Cup Foods where Floyd died after the charges were announced Wednesday. Jeffrey Dugas 36, told NBC News that the case hits home for him and that it feels as if the community’s voices are finally being heard.

 “I feel uplifted, we’re heading in the right way, but we’re not there yet. The change has to be for the future,” Dugas said. “My 7-year-old nephew can’t go through the same stuff that I’m going through. We have to make lasting change.”

The charges have made Jose Arevalo, 23, hopeful that there is some accountability for officers who use excessive force, noting Floyd was already handcuffed when he was pinned by the officers.

“It feels good,” Arevalo said. “I think police brutality has been going on way too long. He shouldn’t have died.”

The official autopsy from the Hennepin County medical examiner listed Floyd’s cause of death as a “cardiopulmonary arrest complicating law enforcement subdual, restraint, and neck compression.”

The medical examiner ruled that Floyd’s death was a homicide but added that he had “significant” underlying conditions, including hypertensive heart disease, fentanyl intoxication and recent methamphetamine use.

But an examination funded by Floyd’s family reached a somewhat different conclusion. It found that police officers’ pressing on his neck and body cut blood and air flow to his brain, causing him to die by mechanical asphyxia, pathologists hired by the family said.

The autopsy paid for by the family also found that Floyd had no other medical conditions that contributed to his death.

Benjamin Crump, the attorney representing Floyd’s family, on Wednesday released a statement on behalf of the family: “This is a bittersweet moment. We are deeply gratified that Attorney General Keith Ellison took decisive action, arresting and charging all the officers involved in George Floyd’s death and upgrading the charge against Derek Chauvin to felony second-degree murder.”

He added that the decision to charge all four officers before Floyd’s body was buried was gratifying and a source of peace for the family. The funeral is scheduled for Tuesday in Houston, Floyd’s hometown.

“These officers knew they could act with impunity, given the Minneapolis Police Department’s widespread and prolonged pattern and practice of violating people’s constitutional rights,” Crump added.

Crump said on the “TODAY” show Tuesday that he expected the charges to be filed against the other three officers and that the family’s autopsy report was significant because it “pays particular attention to the two knees at the back compressing his lungs.”

Since the beginning of 2015, officers from the Minneapolis Police Department have rendered people unconscious with neck restraints 44 times, according to an NBC News analysis of police records. Several police experts told NBC News that number appears to be unusually high.

The Minnesota Department of Human Rights on Tuesday filed a civil rights charge against the Minneapolis Police Department to launch an investigation. The probe will look at the department’s policies, procedures and practices over the past 10 years to determine if it engaged in systemic discriminatory practices, Gov. Tim Walz said.

Speaking during a news conference on Wednesday, George Floyd’s son, Quincy Mason Floyd, said he was happy that all of the officers were charged.

“My father shouldn’t have been arrested,” he said. “We deserve justice.”

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According To Iran News, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called George Floyd’s killing “brutal” and criticized US President Donald Trump for posing for photos while holding a Bible after ordering crackdown on protesters.

“We are witnessing major (racial) oppression against African Americans,” Rouhani said in a speech on Thursday.

“The rulers of the White House have turned the current situation in the United States into one of the worst in history. George Floyd was killed in the most brutal way,” Rouhani said referring to Floyd’s death after a white police officer was caught on video pressing his knee to his neck.

“We express sympathy toward the American people who are on the streets and condemn the White House for ordering the crime (against people of color),” he said.

Rouhani also made reference to the clearing of peaceful protesters from a park outside the White House with chemical agents and flash-bang grenades so that Trump could walk to a church for a photo opportunity.

“The Bible is a holy book that invites people to peace and compassion. It is a shame that the US president holds a Bible when he plans to act against American citizens,” Rouhani said.

The death of George Floyd, a Black man who yelled “I cannot breathe” as a white Minneapolis police officer pinned him down with his knee in the US state of Minnesota, has drawn outrage and widespread protests across the US.

Police-involved shootings and killings of unarmed black men in the hands of white police officers have led to mass protests across the country in recent years and the formation of the Black Lives Matter movement.

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According To Iran News, Protesters have marched in cities across the US for eight consecutive nights over the death of George Floyd.

The cities of Minneapolis, where Floyd died, New York City, Philadelphia, Washington as well as several other cities re-established curfews for Tuesday night in an attempt to stop the after-hours violence and looting of businesses.

The New York Police Department had arrested about 40 people as of 10 p.m. a number expected to increase, a law enforcement official told CNN.

In Atlanta, a protest was calm but after 9 p.m. police and National Guard began to sweep the streets to clear them. A CNN crew saw tear gas being used.

Police in Charlotte, North Carolina, said they used chemical agents to disperse a crowd after “being assaulted with bottles, rocks, and chemical agents.” One person was arrested there and police later tweeted that a protester with a rifle was also taken into custody.

Many of the protests began in the afternoon and lasted hours.

Earlier in Houston, where a public memorial for George Floyd will take place next week, tens of thousands of people marched to City Hall to shout his name and call for justice after his death.

The marchers, who chanted “no justice, no peace” and “Peace on the left, justice on the right,” walked or rode horses from Discovery Green park toward their destination, where organizers were scheduled to speak.

George Floyd’s brother, Philonise Floyd, addressed the crowd asking for a peaceful protest. He told them to be steadfast in the quest for police reform.

“We’re trying to break the cycle right now. We got this,” he said.

About 24 hours after people were forcibly moved from a street within view of the White House, even more protesters gathered and stayed even as the 7 p.m. curfew in DC passed.

The Minnesota Department of Human Rights is launching a civil rights investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department, Gov. Tim Walz announced.

The investigation will look into practices of the department for the last 10 years, he said.

A news release says the inquiry will try to determine whether police engaged in “systemic discriminatory practices towards people of color and ensure any such practices are stopped.”

Floyd, 46, died last week after Minneapolis officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck for more than 8 minutes, according to a prosecutor’s statement of probable cause. His final words included “Mama” and “I can’t breathe.”

Three other officers who responded to the scene, two of whom helped restrain Floyd, were fired by the police chief, who said they were “complicit” in his death. They have not been charged with wrongdoing despite calls from the Floyd family and protesters.

On Monday, two different autopsies found that Floyd’s death was a homicide. A public memorial service will be held for Floyd in Minneapolis on Thursday, according to a statement from National Action Network.

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The protesters in Australia’s largest city chanted, “I can’t breathe” — some of the final words of both Floyd and David Dungay, a 26-year-old Aboriginal man who died in a Sydney prison in 2015 while being restrained by five guards.

The demonstrators carried placards reading, “Black Lives Matter,” “Aboriginal Lives Matter,” “White Silence is Violence” and, referring to those protesting in cities across the US, “We See You, We Hear You, We Stand With You.” Other placards read, “We’re here because they aren’t,” with depictions of Floyd and Dungay.

The protesters, who appeared to number around 3,000, marched from Hyde Park to the New South Wales state Parliament, with plans to continue to the US Consulate.

“It’s just gut-wrenching the climate of what’s happening in America, and it’s also happening here in Australia, though it’s subtle. Racism is real for me,” said one of the protesters, Aoatua Lee, AP reported.

Around 2,000 demonstrators had gathered in Australia’s west coast city of Perth on Monday night to peacefully protest Floyd’s death, and rallies are planned for other Australian cities this week.

Floyd died last week after he was pinned to the pavement by a white police officer who put his knee on the handcuffed black man’s neck until he stopped breathing. His death in Minneapolis set off protests that spread across America.

An indigenous Australian lawmaker called on governments to use Floyd’s death as an opportunity to reduce the deaths of indigenous people in custody.

Linda Burney, the opposition spokeswoman on indigenous Australians, said Tuesday that more than 430 indigenous people had died in Australian police custody since 1991.

“I think we should be using it as an opportunity,” Burney told Australian Broadcasting Corp., Referring to Floyd’s death. “Whether we like it or not, it doesn’t take much for racism to come out of the underbelly of this country.”

“It seems to me that there are lots of things that state and territory governments could do, and the federal government could do to lower the number of Aboriginal people in custody,” she added.

While indigenous adults make up only 2% of the Australian population, they account for 27% of the prison population.

Opposition leader Anthony Albanese backed Burney’s call. “There are far too many indigenous Australians who are incarcerated today. As a percentage of the population, this is a tragedy and it’s one that must be addressed as an absolute national priority,” Albanese told reporters.

Meanwhile, more African leaders are speaking up over the killing of Floyd.

“It cannot be right that, in the 21st century, the United States, this great bastion of democracy, continues to grapple with the problem of systemic racism,” Ghana’s president, Nana Akufo-Addo, said in a statement, adding that black people the world over are shocked and distraught.

Kenyan opposition leader and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga offered a prayer for the US, “that there be justice and freedom for all human beings who call America their country.”

Like some in Africa who have spoken out, Odinga also noted troubles at home, saying the judging of people by character instead of skin color “is a dream we in Africa, too, owe our citizens.

And South Africa’s finance minister, Tito Mboweni, recalled leading a small protest outside the US Embassy several years ago over the apparent systemic killings of blacks. Mboweni said the US ambassador at the time, Patrick Gaspard, “invited me to his office and said: ‘what you see is nothing, it is much worse.’”

In Europe on Monday, thousands spilled across streets in Amsterdam to denounce police brutality, and those demonstrating in Paris urged the French government to take police violence more seriously and held up signs like “Racism is suffocating us.”

Some government leaders have seen the US unrest as a chance to highlight what they see as American hypocrisy on protest movements at home versus abroad.

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam questioned the foreign criticism over an imminent national security law being imposed in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.

“They take their own country’s national security very seriously, but for the security of our country, especially the situation in Hong Kong, they are looking at it through tinted glasses,” Lam said Tuesday.

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