Ben & Jerry’s Release Powerful Statement Calling To ‘Dismantle White Supremacy’ Following The Killing Of George Floyd

3 June 2020, 11:16 | Updated: 3 June 2020, 11:31

Ben & Jerry’s has received praise online for detailing a hard-hitting statement in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, following the death of George Floyd.

Ben & Jerry’s have shared their outrage on the tragic killing of George Floyd by publishing a powerful statement, outlining how we must ‘stand together with the victims of murder, marginalization, and repression because of their skin colour’.

The ice cream brand was being praised on social media for delivering the influential words, after tweeting a post which read: "The murder of George Floyd was the result of inhumane police brutality that is perpetuated by a culture of white supremacy,” along with a ‘We Must Dismantle White Supremacy’ visual.

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The statement read: "All of us at Ben & Jerry’s are outraged about the murder of another Black person by Minneapolis police officers last week and the continued violent response by police against protestors. We have to speak out. We have to stand together with the victims of murder, marginalization, and repression because of their skin colour, and with those who seek justice through protests across our country. We have to say his name: George Floyd.

"George Floyd was a son, a brother, a father, and a friend. The police officer who put his knee on George Floyd’s neck and the police officers who stood by and watched didn’t just murder George Floyd, they stole him. They stole him from his family and his friends, his church and his community, and from his own future.”

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It continued: "The murder of George Floyd was the result of inhumane police brutality that is perpetuated by a culture of white supremacy. What happened to George Floyd was not the result of a bad apple; it was the predictable consequence of a racist and prejudiced system and culture that has treated Black bodies as the enemy from the beginning.

"What happened to George Floyd in Minneapolis is the fruit borne of toxic seeds planted on the shores of our country in Jamestown in 1619, when the first enslaved men and women arrived on this continent. Floyd is the latest in a long list of names that stretches back to that time and that shore. Some of those names we know — Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Oscar Grant, Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Emmett Till, Martin Luther King, Jr. — most we don’t.

"The officers who murdered George Floyd, who stole him from those who loved him, must be brought to justice. At the same time, we must embark on the more complicated work of delivering justice for all the victims of state-sponsored violence and racism.

"Four years ago, we publicly stated our support for the Black Lives Matter movement. Today, we want to be even more clear about the urgent need to take concrete steps to dismantle white supremacy in all its forms. To do that, we are calling for four things.”

They went on to outline that first, they call on President Donald Trump, elected officials and political parties to ‘disavow white supremacists and nationalist groups that overly support him’ rather than calling on aggressive tactics to stop protestors.

It went on to explain that they want the Congress to pass legislation which will ‘create a commission to study the effects of slavery and discrimination from 1619 to the present’, adding that slavery and segregation must be acknowledged before we can move forward.

Supporting George Floyd’s family was also outlined as they explained police accountability must be increased.

The Department of Justice was also called on to ‘reinvigorate its Civil Rights Division as a staunch defender of the rights of Black and Brown people’.

The powerful statement ended by saying that white America must be willing to acknowledge its privilege and ‘take responsibility for the past’ and the impact that it has had on current situations as well as creating a future filled with justice.

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