Just unveiled, a statue of George Floyd has been degraded

The monument was inaugurated just a few days ago. The nearly two-meter-high statue, which represents the head of George Floyd, was found covered in paint on Thursday morning, with the inscription “Patriot Front”, named after an American neo-Nazi cell, has indicated the New York police, who are investigating a possible racist offense.

Unveiled on Saturday in New York, the statue of the African-American George Floyd killed during his arrest was damaged with black paint, a degradation attributed to this tiny far-right group, also suspected of having attacked at another monument in Newark (New Jersey).

A symbolic day

Killed by a police officer in May 2020 during his arrest in Minneapolis, George Floyd has become a symbol of the fight against police brutality and racial equality in the United States. White police officer Derek Chauvin is set to serve his sentence on Friday, two months after he was found guilty of the murder of George Floyd following a high-profile trial.

Authorities released a video Thursday showing four individuals, including one holding a spray paint spray, walking on the sidewalk outside the monument, which is in Brooklyn’s Flatbush neighborhood.

Made of wood by the artist Chris Carnabuci, the statue was inaugurated on Saturday in the presence of Terrence Floyd, brother of George, who lives in New York. It must be transported, within a few months, to Union Square, an iconic gathering place in Manhattan.

“Get out of our state”

“I’m going to be absolutely clear with the neo-Nazi group that did this: get out of our state,” tweeted New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo, indicating he was making available to the investigation, specialized agents of the state police. “We will bring these cowards to justice,” New York Mayor Bill de Blasio commented on Twitter.

On the night of Wednesday to Thursday, another statue of George Floyd, located in front of the town hall of Newark (New Jersey), had also been covered in paint. According to the NJ news site. com, the inscription “Patriot Front” was also discovered there, before the bronze statue, which weighs more than 300 kg, was immediately cleaned. An investigation has been launched by Newark Police.

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