The Forum wants justice for George Floyd
The Diaspora African Forum presented a petition on the killing of a Black American, George Floyd, at Minnesota, USA by Minneapolis Police Officer.
The march which was led by Mr. Rabi Kohain, Chairman, Panafest Foundation and Ambassador Erica Bennette, Diaspora African Forum presented the petition to the US Ambassador to honour and show their concern to all African people.
Mr. Rabi Kohain, Chairman of the Panafest Foundation, expressed his pain for the African communities in the USA. He opined that, it is the responsibility of all Africans to support each other to put a stop to the injustice that is being meted out to Africans living abroad.
According to Mr. Kohain, “the brutality of the people of African descent have reached a level where the cup is full and running over, therefore enough is enough”, he expressed his pain.
He added that, this is the time for Africans to stand up and “when we say never again it should be never again”.
The Diaspora Forum also called on the USA government to strive for a far-reaching change in policies which oppresses African Americans and violate their human rights.
On May 25, 2020, George Floyd, an African-American, was killed in the Powderhorn community of Minneapolis, Minnesota. While Floyd was handcuffed and lying face down on a city street during an arrest, Derek Chauvin, a white American Minneapolis Police Officer, kept his knee on the right side of Floyd's neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds which led to his death.
According to the criminal complaint against Chauvin, 2 minutes and 53 seconds of that time occurred after Floyd became unresponsive. Officers Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng, and Thomas K. Lane participated in Floyd's arrest, with Kueng holding Floyd's back, Lane holding his legs, and Thao looking on and preventing intervention by an onlooker as he stood nearby.
The arrest was made after Floyd was accused of using a counterfeit $20 bill at a market. Police said Floyd physically resisted arrest. Some media organizations commented that a security camera from a nearby business did not show Floyd resisting.
Meanwhile, the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Tourism Authority, Mr. Akwasi Agyeman reiterated calls on Africans to demand for Justice and promote solidarity toward ending inequity.
