Reaffirmation of human rights vital

THE horrific murder of George Floyd needs to be condemned in the strongest possible terms and the police officers who are responsible for his killing need to be brought to justice.

Like other conscience-driven individuals, I am shocked and traumatised by this senseless loss of life.

Floyd’s pleas and last words of “I can’t breathe” send shivers down my spine and it is so heart-breaking.

How can a police officer, who should have known the law better, jam Floyd’s neck to the ground with his knee?

Such extreme police brutality cannot go unpunished as there was no reason to use such deadly force.

Floyd’s death reflects deep-seated racial and religious stereotyping, discrimination, long-standing divisions and micro-aggressions in societies across the globe.

Sadly, it also comes at a time when the Covid-19 pandemic has given rise to increased poverty, unemployment and anxiety around the world, with widespread acts of hate, xenophobia and the spread of panic and misinformation.

As a South African and having experienced apartheid, I feel duty-bound to condemn injustice and discrimination and to reaffirm our commitment to human rights, human dignity, equality and to live by the principles enshrined in our Constitution.

There is an urgent need to nurture a world that makes spirituality, humanness and humanistic values a reality and life-time goals.

By remaining unworried, unconcerned and silent, cycles of violence, hatred and racism will continue and spread.

MOHAMED SAEED | Pietermaritzburg