How misinformation plays Trump card around George Floyd death

Last updated on February 28th, 2023 at 11:45 am

The African American citizen George Floyd was a previous offender and criminal. But the brutality of his death has shaken up America and many other nations alike. The 46 years old African American lost his life to police brutality, something which was filmed and viewed millions of times on various social media handles.

A multitude of civilians already harried due to corona virus scares and loss of jobs is angry, mobbing city bounds across the globe, shouting out for justice against racial discrimination. Previous instances of similar cases have also found mention in the mass protests that have rocked the world intrepidly over the weekend.

The world has not recovered from the uncertainty of survival to the Corona Virus. Yet people have busied themselves mimicking the death of Floyd by lying on the floor face down showing their solidarity. Floyd was pushed to the ground for almost nine minutes before he went unconscious and was later declared dead.

Photo and video grabs show people thronging streets and prominent city centres and historical hotspots. Some have gone ahead and defaced public property and given rather violent outcome to peaceful protests. Media sources are confirming the play of miscreants that are taking advantage of the sentiments of the masses.

The protests have stretched to Tokyo, Berlin, Spain, UK, Denmark, and Hungry not to forget the epicenter of the eruption- America itself. All four officers present at the time of his arrests, have been charged- one with second degree murder as well.

But what has blown the protests out of proportions is a blatant use of social media and a whole lot of misinformation that has done rounds on various channels. The social media has given the common man power; and sometimes too much of it as well. The crime was committed, recorded and therefore cannot be ignored. It might have had racial implications behind the police brutality. But the wave of misinformation that has come with it, is becoming difficult to handle for city administrations and police personnel across the globe.

According to Euronews, there has been a lot of misinformation doing rounds on the social media. Old clips are being posted and circulated. Most of them are isolated cases of assault that occurred anytime between the years 2014-2020, has been implicate to George Floyd’s death and is now (wrongly) building up hatred for police personnel in America.

The correspondents from major dailies in America and the UK have admitted that visual investigation has never been as important as it has become today, owing to the fact that a lot of misinformation could have lead to other catastrophic outcomes, had there not been visual evidence to substantiate what actually happened with George Floyd.

With the slogan ‘Black Lives Matter’ the globe is resonating and shouting against racial discrimination at every level, which includes various such instances of the past where Asians being subjugated in Australia as well. They might not hold relevance here right now but will only add more fuel to this uncontrollable fire.

George Floyd lost his life under the knee of a Minneapolis police man who pinned him down ,handcuffed as Floyd begged for him to free his neck, as he said ‘I can’t breathe’ for almost 16 times.

Similar demonstrations have been seen in Toronto itself. The same has seen solidarity from the prime minister who himself is said to have kneeled on one knee with his mask on to show solidarity amongst Americans and unity for all.

In Paris, several thousand demonstrators ignored a protest ban — issued due to the coronavirus pandemic — and assembled within sight of the U.S. Embassy, kept back by imposing barriers and riot police. An estimated 15,000 people gathered in the heart of Manchester, England, while 2,000 people joined in a demonstration in the Welsh capital of Cardiff.

The mass protests are a breeding ground for easy corona virus contractions and can push the various countries into second and third waves of infections again. Political analysts are right in fearing this.

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