FIJIANS CAUGHT

In United States riots

Fijians in different parts of the United States of America are saying things could change for the worse as rioting and clashes with Police continue.

The chaos started with the death of an African American man, George Floyd, on May 25, 2020, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Mr Floyd allegedly lost his life after being pinned to the ground by a white Police officer using his knees to press on Mr Floyd’s neck.

This was caught on camera and protests started. It has now turned into riots all over the country spreading to Los Angeles, Miami, New York and even to the state of Washington.

Krishneel Chand, 36, has called the US his home for 30 years and said it was scenes of anarchy. He lives in Seattle, Washington, which is thousands of miles away from where the killing took place.

“I don’t know how things have escalated to this but right now, I feel as if the US is burning,” he said.

“People inside their homes are safe, but looting and rioting have started. I just hope that violence does not get out of hand and we lose lives.

“We are already affected by COVID-19 and now this.”

Natasha Khan, 34, lives in Los Angeles. She said it was a frightening experience for her as she had never seen anything as such in her life.

“All this is new to me. I am at home with family and watching television for the news and all we see is the George Floyd story and how it has now started the riots,” she said.

“Luckily, the riots are happening in the city and not in the suburbs. I hope it ends soon.”

Sanimo Bale, 26, from Fresno, California, said while he did not condone the riots, he supported the protests, which showed blatant racism against people of other races, especially at the hands of law enforcers.

He said his family moved to the United States with the thought that it was the greatest country in the world.

He said the atmosphere was tense as patrol by Police in African American-dominated

communities had increased and there were signs that the community where he lived in would revolt.

The US media are reporting that riots and protests are continuing all over the country. There are also reports of clashes between the public and Police, rioting and looting.