'Cannot use Bible as prop': Reverend Sharpton slams Donald Trump at George Floyd memorial

Civil rights activist Reverend Al Sharpton on Thursday mocked US President Donald Trump's widely criticized photo-op in Washington DC earlier this week. Speaking at the memorial service for George Floyd, who died in the custody of the Minneapolis police on May 25 triggering protests across America, Sharpton said, "We cannot use Bibles as a prop".

'I would like him to open that Bible'

“I saw somebody standing in front of a church the other day that had been boarded up as a result of violence, held the Bible in his hand,” Sharpton said. “I’ve been preaching since I was a little boy, I’ve never seen anyone hold a Bible like that ... but since he held a Bible, if he’s watching us today, I would like him to open that Bible,” Reverend Al Sharpton added

“We cannot use Bibles as a prop,” Reverend Sharpton said adding, "and for those that have agendas, that are not about justice, this family will not let you use George as a prop.”

Reverend Sharpton also gave an impassioned eulogy about change in the United States. "It's a different time and a different season. I've come to tell you, America, this is the time of dealing with accountability in the criminal justice system," he said. Two other services for Floyd are scheduled: one on Saturday in Raeford, N.C., where he was born, and another on Monday in Houston, where he lived before moving to Minneapolis. Thursday’s memorial service concluded with an eight-minute, 46-second moment of silence.

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US Vice President Mike Pence offered "sympathies and prayers" to the family and friends of George Floyd as Minneapolis memorial was underway. Pence called Floyd's death "a tragedy" and reiterated President Trump's vow that "justice will be served."

There have been 624 arrests by the Multi-Agency Command Center (MACC) in Minnesota since May 31, according to a tweet on Thursday from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (MDPS).  

Meanwhile, after days of mass protests accompanied by sporadic violence and scattered looting that led to the deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles, San Francisco and most other cities, the state of California anxiously lifted curfews on Thursday amid more peaceful demonstrations.

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(With agency inputs)