Published 15:50 IST, June 14th 2020
US Embassy in Seoul displays Black Lives Matter banner on its building amid protests
US embassy in Seoul draped a huge Black Lives Matter banner on its building and tweeted its picture to show solidarity with the peaceful demonstrations.
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The United States embassy in Seoul draped a huge Black Lives Matter banner on its building and tweeted its picture to show solidarity with the peaceful Black Lives Matter protests. Since the death of African American George Floyd in the US in police custody, he has become the latest face of racial discrimination in the country. US Ambassador to South Korea Harry Karris retweeted the image and quoted former US President John F Kennedy to state that America is a “free and diverse” country.
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It has been over two weeks since demonstrations against racial discrimination rocked the entire country after the death of 46-year-old African American George Floyd in police custody. People have flooded the streets of major cities from sea to sea, some even defying the guidelines of social distancing amid COVID-19 pandemic. The gathering of tens of thousands of people had initially sparked fears of a surge in COVID-19 cases for the state governments. Since some of them even went violent, the administrations either deployed curfews or called on National Guard to control the protests.
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‘Done more for the black community’
Even though the 45th US President Donald Trump has repeatedly voiced his concern over the rise in violence and the need for “law and order” in the country, he has not addressed the issue of racism in America head-on. Arguing that a strong economy would combat any injustices, Trump has restated that he has “done more for the black community than any president since Abraham Lincoln. However, since there has not been a substantial conversation about racial discrimination by the White House, a fresh wave of criticism against Trump has begun. The Democrat Mayor of Atlanta Keisha Lance Bottoms has reportedly said that the uneven address of racism and violence by some protesters has created a void of an important national conversation about racism.
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15:50 IST, June 14th 2020