X

WWE 'Condemns Racial Injustice' in Statement After Killing of George Floyd

Joseph Zucker@@JosephZuckerX.com LogoFeatured ColumnistJune 2, 2020

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 11:  A WWE logo is shown on a screen before a WWE news conference at T-Mobile Arena on October 11, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was announced that WWE wrestler Braun Strowman will face heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury and WWE champion Brock Lesnar will take on former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez at the WWE's Crown Jewel event at Fahd International Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on October 31.  (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Ethan Miller/Getty Images

World Wrestling Entertainment issued a statement Tuesday amid Americans protesting across the country to call for action to address police brutality and systemic racism.Β 

WWE said it "supports an inclusive society and condemns racial injustice":

WWE @WWE

https://t.co/gUnxD4RhUz

On May 25, four officers from the Minneapolis Police Department approached George Floyd in his car while responding to an alleged forgery in progress. The officers removed Floyd from the vehicle and placed him facedown on the ground.

In a video of the encounter, one officer, Derek Chauvin, is shown kneeling on Floyd's neck. For nearly nine minutes, Chauvin continued kneeling on Floyd despite Floyd saying he was struggling to breathe.

He died at a local hospital, and prosecutors charged Chauvin with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. The three other officers are under investigation but have not been charged.

Protests which began calling for justice for Floyd in Minneapolis have quickly spread across the country and world with broader aims of ending police violence and racial injustice.