Accra, June 1, GNA – President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has sent words of condolence to the family of George Floyd, black American man who died May 25, 2020 in police custody in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States.
Mr Floyd, 46, unarmed, had his death captured in a footage that went viral, showing a white police officer kneeling on his neck, suffocating him for almost nine minutes while in his custody.
His death has ignited deep-seated anger over racism, discrimination and socio-economic inequality and the perennial killings of black Americans by the police, sparking global outrage, with days of violent protest across the US.
“Black people, the world over, are shocked and distraught by the killing of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, by a white police officer in the United States of America. It carried with it an all too painful familiarity, and an ugly reminder.
“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,” President Akufo-Addo wrote on his Facebook wall.
“On behalf of the people of Ghana, I express my deep condolences to the family and loved ones of the late George Floyd.
“We stand with our kith and kin in America in these difficult and trying times, and we hope that the unfortunate, tragic death of George Floyd will inspire a lasting change in how America confronts head on the problems of hate and racism,” the President said.
The police officer who pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck has since been charged with third degree murder, but protestors say the charge was too lenient, and have demanded that three other policemen who were complicit in his death be arrested and charged as well.
GNA