White teens are now posting pictures of themselves kneeling on each other’s necks, as part of what is called a ‘George Floyd challenge’ in the same manner as his murder on video.
By Raka Mukherjee, News18 BUZZ
“Hell is other people,” wrote Jean-Paul Sartre in his play called Huis Clos, or No Exit, and it perhaps, if taken literally, rings true in 2020, where we’ve really reached the bottom rung of humanity.
Last week, the United States erupted in protests over the killing of George Floyd, an African-American who was killed by cops in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As videos of the killing went viral, the image of a white cop, pinning Floyd’s neck to the ground with his knee till the victim choked went viral.
While the outrageous and heartbreaking video led to anger and disappointment and culminated in protests that have continued to rage, some racist bigots seem to have found a disgusting ploy to hijack the video.
In videos and images that are now going viral, white teens pretending to choke another by pinning them to the ground and kneeing them on the neck. The trend is being called the ‘George Floyd challenge’.
Yes. They’re literally recreating someone’s actual, filmed murder, as part of a ‘challenge.’
Racists are now doing the George Floyd “challenge.” This is what we’re up against, folks. It’s a privilege to make sarcasm about racism instead of experiencing it your whole life pic.twitter.com/LmS1mnqCcj
— Mohamad Safa (@mhdksafa) June 4, 2020
This is sickening and deeply disturbing that there is a George Floyd challenge going around in the US. #blacklivesmatter pic.twitter.com/N8gq6MKHpx
— Ahmer Khan (@ahmermkhan) June 4, 2020
https://twitter.com/peytharr/status/1268379208146980865?s=20
I don’t truck with “Cancel Culture” but someone needs to cancel these little bastards doing a “George Floyd Challenge” … This is the root of the sickness. These boys require an education; once they’re identified, perhaps they get one. Do your thing Twitter. pic.twitter.com/5jBkcZSJ7D
— Bravo Golf Lima (@Benjamin_G_Lund) June 3, 2020
Tiktok should permanently suspend every account doing the George Floyd challenge. That is pure hate, so VILE.
— Dana💙Good Vibes Mariners Fan☀️ (@5drinkMax) June 3, 2020
While most of the videos were taken down, from the screenshots alone it appears that the videos were majorly on two platforms – Snapchat and TikTok.
Three of young boys seen posing in one of the pictures have been arrested for re-creating the hate crime.
Most of the other teens, however, remain unidentified yet.
This article originally appeared in News18 BUZZ.