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Royal Blood have called for people to educate themselves more on social injustice following recent protests sparked by the death of George Floyd.
The protests that are continuing across the US and around the world after George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis when a police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine-minutes and ignored the man’s pleas that he couldn’t breathe.
The officer responsible, Derek Chauvin, has since been sacked and charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter. The three other officers involved in the arrest have also been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder, and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.
Yesterday (June 6), Royal Blood – comprised of Mike Kerr and Ben Thatcher – took to Instagram to show support for the Black Lives Matter movement, urging people to educate themselves more on social injustice while acknowledging their own white privilege.
“We have been described as ‘two guys making a lot of noise’ for nearly 6 years now, but the truth is we are two white males, adopting and basking in an entire genre of music that was created by black culture and black musicians,” the duo wrote.
“Our white privilege knows no bounds and has provided us every stepping stone of opportunity required along the way for a band like ours to get to the position we’re currently in.”
They continued: “We must all educate ourselves further on social injustice and donate where we can! We refuse to be silent on this matter and want to be a voice for change.
“If anyone comments ‘stick to music’ I’d like to paraphrase @claraamfo ‘You cannot enjoy the rhythm and ignore the blues’.”
Royal Blood follow 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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