Flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Mahama has condemned the gruesome killing of black American and Minneapolis resident George Floyd.
He said most cases of injustice faced by blacks in the United States of America are related to skin colour.
According to him, “The systemic prejudices and injustices faced by Black people in America are based on racism”.
On May 25, George Floyd was pinned facedown on the ground, in handcuffs, by a white police officer who pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck for more than eight minutes. Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was suspected of passing a counterfeit $20 bill.
He was unresponsive when paramedics arrived, and he was pronounced dead later.
Unrest has since erupted in Minneapolis, where protesters have set fire to buildings, and in several cities across the country.
The police officer was fired and has been charged with third-degree murder. His attorney did not respond to requests for comment. Three other officers also have been fired.
Mahama took to Facebook page to share his sentiment over the death of George Floyd.
He said, “The killing of George Floyd is the latest in a centuries-long series of moral outrages that are now more visible because they are being documented on film and through social media.”
He wrote: “Recent events in America have brightened the moral spotlight on the systemic prejudice and danger that Black people there experience solely because of the colour of their skin.
“The killing of George Floyd is the latest in a centuries-long series of moral outrages that are now more visible because they are being documented on film and through social media.
“I condemn these injustices, in all their many forms.
“Moments such as this call for solidarity. The systemic prejudices and injustices faced by Black people in America are based on racism – it makes no distinction on the basis of migration history, national origin, social class, or educational attainment. They are concerned, solely, with the colour of your skin.
“That is because the issue at hand is not “respectability”, it is racism.
“We must understand that the threats and dangers are as real for Ghanaians and other Africans in America as they are for African Americans. We cannot look away, and we cannot be silent.
“This new awakening also applies to unwarranted use of violence against civilians here at home (Ghana); and to our own prejudicial treatment of some Ghanaians and the socially disadvantaged.”
Source: Pulse Ghana
