Showing support to the Black Lives Matter movement following death of the 46-year-old, the 'Hello' hitmaker reminds racism does not only happen in America, but is alive and well everywhere.
- Jun 2, 2020
AceShowbiz - Adele joins a horde of celebrities condemning the tragic death of George Floyd. As demonstrations demanding justice for the slain 46-year-old continued to grow across the nation, the "Set Fire to the Rain" singer made a rare social media post in which she offered some supportive advice to the protesters.
On Monday, June 1, the multiple Grammy winner posted on Instagram a widely-circulated photo of Floyd. Along with it, she wrote, "George Floyd's murder has sent shockwaves around the world, there are countless others that haven't. Protests and marches are happening all over the globe simultaneously and only gaining momentum."
While acknowledging that people have the rights to be angry over it, the "Hello" hitmaker reminded the protesters, "So be righteously angered but be focused! Keep listening, keep asking and keep learning!" She went on to add, "It's important we don't get disheartened, hijacked or manipulated right now."
"This is about systematic racism, this is about police violence and it's about inequality. And this isn't only about America! Racism is alive and well everywhere," the 32-year-old singer continued, before stating her stance, "I wholeheartedly stand in solidarity with the fight for freedom, liberation and justice." She concluded with the hashtags of "#blacklivesmatter", "#georgefloyd" and "#saytheirnames".
Floyd died on Monday, May 25 after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes during arrest. An independent autopsy conducted by Dr. Michael Baden and Dr. Allecia Wilson found that his death was a "homicide caused by asphyxia due to neck and back compression that led to a lack of blood flow to the brain."
Floyd's family have also made an appeal to the public against violent protests that have swept the country. "We understand the righteous anger we see playing out on streets across the country," family attorney Ben Crump said in a statement. "We support the activism and energy of the people who want to make sure we achieve change, and we hope those efforts continue, but looting and violence are absolutely unacceptable."
"They were unacceptable to George, and they must be unacceptable to us," Crump continued. "The way to honor George is to achieve justice. As a country, we need to take a deep breath. George Floyd wasn't allowed that, but we must."
