Hamilton slams Formula 1 silence on racial injustice
After his passionate social media post, other drivers, organizations speak up
LONDON Formula One drivers followed Lewis Hamilton’s lead on Monday after the six-time world champion criticized his sport’s silence over the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died after a white U.S. police officer knelt on his neck.
The death in Minneapolis triggered a wave of outrage and violent protests in the United States.
Britain’s Hamilton, Formula One’s first black world champion who spends much of his time in America, spoke out on Instagram on Sunday.
“I see those of you who are staying silent, some of you the biggest of stars yet you stay silent in the midst of injustice,” wrote the Mercedes driver.
“Not a sign from anybody in my industry which of course is a white dominated sport. I’m one of the only people of colour there yet I stand alone,” he added.
“I would have thought by now you would see why this happens and say something about it but you can’t stand alongside us. Just know I know who you ... are and I see you.”
In a second post, Hamilton added: “I do not stand with those looting and burning buildings but those who are protesting peacefully. There can be no peace until our so called leaders make change.”
Mercedes retweeted the latter comment and issued a statement assuring Hamilton that they stood with him.
“Tolerance is an elementary principle of our team and we are enriched by diversity in all its forms,” it added, condemning any discrimination.
Renault’s Daniel Ricciardo said Floyd’s death was “a disgrace.”
“Racism is toxic and needs to be addressed not with violence or silence but with unity and action,” the Australian wrote on Instagram.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc said on Twitter he had felt “out of place and uncomfortable” sharing his thoughts on social media about the situation but realized he had been “completely wrong.”
“I still struggle to find the words to describe the atrocity of some videos I’ve seen on internet. Racism needs to be met with actions, not silence,” added the Monegasque.
Williams driver George Russell echoed Leclerc’s words and said it was time to kick racism out.
“We all have a voice to speak up for what’s right — and until now I didn’t know how to use mine in this situation,” said the Briton.
“Ultimately, no matter how uncomfortable it may be to speak out, silence achieves nothing.”
Mclaren’s Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris also spoke out while Racing Point’s Sergio Perez tweeted the #blacklivesmatter hashtag and Alfa Romeo’s Antonio Giovinazzi called for #Justiceforfloyd.
There have been several nights of unrest over race and policing in many U.S. cities as a series of curfews failed to quell confrontations between some protesters and police.
Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was charged last Friday with third-degree murder in the death of 46-year-old Floyd.
I would have thought by now you would see why this happens and say something about it but you can’t stand alongside us. Just know I know who you ... are and I see you.
The son of Dale Murphy, the former Major League Baseball player, was struck in the face by a rubber bullet as he joined one of the protests sweeping the U.S. in the wake of the death of Floyd.
Murphy said his son, Tyson, and others were hurt while “peacefully protesting for justice for George Floyd” in Denver and tweeted an image of his son in a hospital, bleeding below his left eye.
“Last night, my son was shot in the eye with a rubber bullet while peacefully protesting for justice for George Floyd. His story is not unique,” Murphy, who briefly played for the Colorado Rockies and twice was a National League MVP with the Atlanta Braves, wrote: “Countless others have also experienced this use of excessive police force while trying to have their voices heard.”
He went on to write his son was lucky to avoid more serious injury, unlike others.
“Luckily, his eye was saved due to a kind stranger that was handing out goggles to protesters shortly before the shooting and another kind stranger that drove him to the ER,” he wrote. “Others were not so lucky and will be permanently disabled due to excessive police force.
“As terrible as this experience has been,” Murphy added, “we know that it’s practically nothing compared to the systemic racism and violence against black life that he was protesting in the first place. black communities across America have been terrorized for centuries by excessive police force.”
Reuters, with files from
The Washington Post