Published 10:56 IST, June 5th 2020
George Floyd Death: Kamala Harris slams Rand Paul for rejecting anti-lynching bill
California Senator Kamala Harris slammed fellow Congressman Kentucky Senator Rand Paul on Thursday, June 4 for objecting to the anti-lynching bill.
California Senator Kamala Harris slammed fellow Congressman Kentucky Senator Rand Paul on Thursday, June 4 for objecting to the anti-lynching bill. Taking to Twitter, she stated that "History will remember that on the day of George Floyd's funeral, Senator Paul has rejected the anti-lynching bill." She further added that the act was "absolutely disgraceful."
In a video that Senator Harris shared, she said, "There's no reason for this. Senator Paul's amendment would place a greater burden on the victims of lynching than is currently required under the federal hate crime laws. There is no reason for this. There is no reason other than cruel and deliberate obstruction on a day of mourning. On this very day, at this very hour, there is a memorial service to honour the life of George Floyd who was murdered on a sidewalk with a knee on his neck. For 8 minutes, 46 seconds, George Floyd plead for his life, called for his late mother, and said he could not breathe."
As per reports, Rand Paul who did not object to an almost identical earlier version of the bill said that the anti-lynching bill would define lynching 'too broadly' to include assaults as well as murder. He stood by his decision to object on the bill and called it "the right call", adding that he knew he would be "excoriated" for it.
George Floyd Death
George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man, died in Minneapolis earlier last week. As per reports, Floyd was arrested by the local police for unspecified charges on May 26. A tussle is said to have broken out between George Floyd and the police officials, which resulted in Floyd’s death after being subdued for several minutes by an officer. In a video that went viral on the internet, the officer was seen pressing his knee against Floyd's neck who was seen gasping for air before turning motionless.
George Floyd's death has triggered mass unrest in various parts of the US. As per reports, police officer Derek Chauvin and three other officers - Thomas Lane, Tou Thao and J Alexander Kueng - were later fired by the Minneapolis Police Department. Chauvin has been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
Meanwhile, several protestors also converged outside the White House shouting "Black Lives Matter" and "I can't breathe". The focus of the protests is the alleged institutional bigotry and consequent brutality in American police forces. Along with it, several police squads have also joined the protestors in order to express their stand against police brutality and racism.
Updated 10:56 IST, June 5th 2020