Americans on Sunday marked five years since George Floyd was killed by a US police officer, as US President Donald Trump backtracks on reforms designed to tackle racism.
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Floyd’s deadly arrest on May 25, 2020 helped launch the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement into a powerful force that sought to resolve America’s deeply rooted racial issues, from police violence to systemic inequality.
But since Trump’s return to power in January – he was serving his first term when Floyd died – his administration has axed civil rights investigations and cracked down on diversity hiring initiatives.
BLM, meanwhile, finds itself lacking the support it enjoyed when protesters sprawled across US cities and abroad during the Covid-19 pandemic – with many now agreeing the movement achieved little of substance.
Some Democratic politicians, as well as United Nations rights chief Volker Turk, commemorated the anniversary on Sunday.
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“As anti-racism, inclusion efforts & law enforcement reforms face serious setbacks, we must continue advocating for racial justice & equality globally – with greater determination & strength,” Turk wrote on social media.