Guwahati: After the death of George Floyd, an unarmed man African-American man while in custody of Minneapolis police in the US recently and the subsequent video emerging on social media showing a police officer kneeling on the neck of Floyd, the virtual world is abuzz with people from around the globe voicing out their views against racism.
Hashtags like #BlackLivesMatter, #ICantBreathe, #WorldAgainstRacism have been trending on Twitter and Instagram and visuals of protests and altercations between protestors and armed guard have been shared on the platforms. Also, social media platforms responded to the outcry and showed solidarity.
Twitter had changed its regular bluebird profile picture to a black one showcasing their support for the protests.
The microblogging site has also provided a bevy of tips and resources to help everyone get a better grip on the situation.
Racism does not adhere to social distancing.
Amid the already growing fear and uncertainty around the pandemic, this week has again brought attention to something perhaps more pervasive: the long-standing racism and injustices faced by Black and Brown people on a daily basis. pic.twitter.com/8zKPlDnacY
— Twitter Together (@TwitterTogether) May 29, 2020
Instagram and Facebook both switched all their official profiles to black and white in the support with the hashtag #shareblackstories.
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook on Sunday evening, posted a personal update reflecting on the protests. He also discussed Chan Zuckerberg Initiative’s ongoing support of programs focused on overcoming racial injustice. He further pledged $10 million in funding for groups working on the same.
YouTube has also extended its support and additionally pledged $1 million in funding to support organisations seeking to address the injustice.
We stand in solidarity against racism and violence. When members of our community hurt, we all hurt. We’re pledging $1M in support of efforts to address social injustice.
— YouTube (@YouTube) May 30, 2020
LinkedIn was also not far behind and has voiced its support for those who are protesting for a change.
Derek Chauvin, the Minneapolis cop who was seen kneeling on Floyd’s neck in a video doing rounds on social media, is now accused of Floyd’s murder.
Not long after Floyd’s passing in police custody on May 25, cities Minneapolis and St. Paul erupted in massive protests which later on spread all over the US.
On Friday night in Washington DC, US President Donald Trump was quickly taken to the White House underground bunker after the gathering of protestors outside the White House.
