Teens arrested after ‘imitating George Floyd death’ online
THREE teenagers have been arrested on suspicion of a hate crime, after allegedly imitating the murder of George Floyd on social media.
George Floyd, 46, died after being stopped by police outside a shop in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 25. Shocking footage of the arrest shows white police officer Derek Chauvin, who has since been charged with murder, kneeling on Mr Floyd’s neck as he begs to be allowed to breathe.
The killing of Mr Floyd, who was African American, has sparked anti-racist protests across America and the rest of the world, with millions rallying to the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement.
Yesterday, Northumbria Police confirmed it had launched an investigation into an image, believed to have been taken in Gateshead, which appeared to imitate the killing.
Two men, aged 19 and another aged 18, have on suspicion of sending communications causing anxiety and distress, and police have confirmed the incident is being treated as a hate crime.
In it, one young white man kneels on the neck of another. Both are smiling and the caption reads “police brutality”.
One person who had seen the image, which cannot be shared for legal reasons, told The Chronicle
it “makes a mockery” of the murder.
A spokesperson for Northumbria Police said: “We can confirm we are investigating after an image was shared on social media which showed two men imitating the recent death of US citizen George Floyd.
“An investigation was launched and yesterday (Sunday) officers arrested two males aged 19 and another male aged 18 on suspicion of sending communications causing anxiety and distress.
“They have since been released on bail. We understand that this is social media post has caused significant upset and we want to reassure the public it is being investigated robustly and is being treated as a hate crime.”