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Paul McCartney has spoken out about the death of George Floyd, calling for justice for his family and “all those who have died and suffered” because of police brutality.
Floyd died on May 25 while being arrested by police in Minneapolis. Officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine-minutes, which, according to an independent autopsy, cut blood and airflow off from his brain, causing mechanical asphyxia.
Chauvin has since been sacked and charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter, while the three other officers involved in Floyd’s arrest have been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder, and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.
In a post on Facebook today (June 5), McCartney encouraged his fans to educate themselves about racism and support organisations associated with the Black Lives Matter movement. “As we continue to see the protests and demonstrations across the world, I know many of us want to know just what we can be doing to help,” the Beatle wrote.
Here are some organisations to support in the fight for racial justice.Black Lives Matterhttps://blacklivesmatter.com…
Posted by Paul McCartney on Friday, June 5, 2020
“None of us have all the answers and there is no quick fix but we need change. We all need to work together to overcome racism in any form. We need to learn more, listen more, talk more educate ourselves and, above all, take action.”
He continued to recount a time when, in 1964, The Beatles had been scheduled to play in Jacksonville, Louisiana, but found out the audience would be segregated. “It felt wrong,” he said. “We said, ‘We’re not doing that!’ And the concert we did do was to [be] their first non-segregated audience. We then made sure this was in our contract. To us it send like common sense.”
McCartney said he felt “sick and angry” that racism was still an issue almost 60 years later, calling Floyd’s murder “senseless” and a result of “police racism”. “All of us here support and stand alongside all those who are protesting and raising their voices at this time,” he concluded. “I want justice for George Floyd’s family, I want justice for all those who have died and suffered. Saying nothing is not an option.”
The Beatle follows a number of other musicians who have spoken out during the recent Black Lives Matter protests, which have taken place across the US and around the world. Among them, Adele told her fans to “be righteously angered but be focused”, while Killer Mike gave an impassioned speech telling Atlanta residents to “plot, plan, strategise, organise, and mobilise”.
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