Paul McCartney reflecting on George Floyd protests

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From Wikipedia:

[…] The George Floyd protests are an ongoing series of protests and riots against police brutality that began as local protests in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area of Minnesota before spreading throughout the United States and then worldwide. The protests began in Minneapolis on May 26, 2020, following the killing of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, in which Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, knelt on Floyd’s neck for over eight minutes during an arrest the previous day. Protests quickly spread across the United States and internationally in support of Black Lives Matter. […]

On June 05, Paul McCartney published this message on his official website:

As we continue to see the protests and demonstrations across the world, I know many of us want to know just what we can be doing to help. None of us have all the answers and there is no quick fix but we need change. We all need to work together to overcome racism in any form. We need to learn more, listen more, talk more, educate ourselves and, above all, take action.

In 1964 The Beatles were due to play Jacksonville in the US and we found out that it was going to be to a segregated audience. It felt wrong. We said ‘We’re not doing that!’ And the concert we did do was to their first non-segregated audience. We then made sure this was in our contract. To us it seemed like common sense.

I feel sick and angry that here we are almost 60 years later and the world is in shock at the horrific scenes of the senseless murder of George Floyd at the hands of police racism, along with the countless others that came before.

All of us here support and stand alongside all those who are protesting and raising their voices at this time. I want justice for George Floyd’s family, I want justice for all those who have died and suffered. Saying nothing is not an option.

Love Paul McCartney

Last updated on June 6, 2020