U.S. Embassies across the world are displaying “Black Lives Matter” flags and sharing BLM-related material on social media on Tuesday to mark the one year anniversary of the death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis Police custody.
US Embassy Madrid shared a photo of a large Black Lives Matter flag hanging from its building, along with a tweet that said, “Embassy staff show their solidarity after the one year anniversary of the murder of George Floyd: ‘We show the banner #BlackLivesMatter at the Embassy headquarters to resoundingly reaffirm that racism has no place in our world.’ – Charge d’affaires Tribble,” according to a translation.
US Embassy Sarajevo also shared a photo of a Black Lives Matter flag hanging from their building, and quoted Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a Twitter post, writing, “Today marks a year since the brutal murder of George Floyd. The senseless killing spurred Black Lives Matter protests to demand an end to systemic racism, what @SecBlinken has called ‘a time of reckoning in our nation.'”
The US Department of the State in Washington, DC, shared a Black Lives Matter message on Twitter, writing, “@POTUS: “‘I can’t breathe.’ Those were George Floyd’s last words. We cannot let them die with him. We have to keep hearing them. We must not turn away. We cannot turn away.” #BlackLivesMatter.”
“Today (May 25) is the first anniversary of the murder of George Floyd. His tragic murder was heartbreaking and shocking, and it ignited protests against racism and injustice around the world,” the US Embassy Beijing wrote, according to a Google Translation of the tweet. “This incident also brought more urgency, prompting the United States to reflect on its entire history of systemic racial discrimination, police accountability, and unequal treatment of blacks.”
The US Embassy Tokyo tweeted, “Today marks 1 year since the brutal murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers. His killing has inspired a global movement to advance racial justice and equity, a top U.S. policy priority. #BlackLivesMatter.”
The US Embassy Athens shared video of an embassy employee lowering a banner emblazoned with the words “Black Lives Matter.”
“We raise this banner in honor of George Floyd, murdered one year ago today, in solidarity with people around the globe seeking a world without racial discrimination and a future with equal opportunity for all. #BlackLivesMatter,” the embassy tweeted.
The US Embassy Finland shared a video on Twitter featuring two young adult women who are labeled as being part of a “new generation of activists.”
“May 25 marks the 1-year anniversary of George Floyd’s murder which ignited a renewed global focus on the pursuit of racial justice,” the embassy wrote. “New generation of activists like Andrea Moukoko & Sará Balhass of Helsinki rose to meet this challenge, give voice to those who live with injustice.”
U.S. Embassy Ghana shared a video on racial justice and tweeted, “Today marks one year since the brutal murder of George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Remembering this day forms part of our nation’s path as we strive towards a more perfect union.”
The US Embassy Armenia tweeted that “we are all part of George Floyd’s legacy. And now our job is to honor it — to honor him.”
U.S. Embassy Vienna also tweeted, “We continue to honor Mr. Floyd and acknowledge the long journey the United States and many nations face to advance racial justice.”
“May 25 marks one year since the brutal murder of George Floyd by police—the result of an officer kneeling on his neck for 9 minutes and 29 seconds. The U.S. joins countries who are doing the difficult work of confronting systemic racism. #BlackLivesMatter,” US Embassy in the Philippines tweeted.
On Monday, a report by Human Events revealed that the U.S. State Department under President Joe Biden is encouraging its offices and employees to display Black Lives Matter messaging on May 25, 2021.
The memo, reportedly provided by a source within the State Department who requested anonymity, said that all U.S. “Diplomatic and Consular posts” are encouraged to display shows of support for Black Lives Matter on Tuesday, coinciding with the one-year anniversary of Floyd’s death.
When asked about the memo by American Military News, a State Department spokesperson said, “As a general matter, we don’t comment on the authenticity or veracity of allegedly leaked documents.”
The department also declined to answer whether it had sanctioned any BLM-related activity.
The move to display Black Lives Matter flags and share BLM-related material on Tuesday comes just over a week after the Air Force ordered the removal of a photo of a flag associated with, “Blue Lives Matter,” a pro-police movement.
This month, Ramstein Air Base said it removed a photo of uniformed airmen flying a pro-police “Thin Blue Line” flag, also known as a “Blue Lives Matter” or “Police Lives Matter” flag, that was flown during a ruck march in honor of National Police Week. The base apologized for the move and said the photo violated Defense Department policy regarding the types of flags that are permitted to be flown on U.S. bases.
