While Black Lives Matter activists and prominent celebrities alike are making a stand at anti-racism protests, a new internet challenge has emerged recently with the purpose of mocking George Floyd’s death. The trend, which is called the #GeorgeFloydChallenge, features teenagers (mostly white Americans) reenacting the scene of a Minneapolis police officer kneeling on Floyd’s neck.
Human Rights advocate and Climate Change activist Mohamad Safa posted a series of screenshots on Twitter, along with the caption:
“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.”
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
In the now-viral images, teens can be seen pretending like they were Derek Chauvin as they kneeled on their friends’ neck, . Twitter users immediately condemned the latest internet fad, calling it “disgusting” and “hateful.”
One person commented that “Disgraceful. How can anyone a) do this or b) tolerate their friend doing this? It makes my heart sick,” to which another replied with, “White boys who turn into white men who are white supremacists. White male toxicity is this country’s number one problem.”
The New York Post reported that social media giants such as Facebook and Instagram already took down any posts related to the viral challenge. In an interview with the news outlet, a spokesperson for Facebook said “We are aware, and are removing these posts for violating our Community Standards.”
Meanwhile, three people have already been arrested by Fife and Northumbria Police; while others remained unidentified.
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