Margot Robbie, Timomatic among celebs backing George Floyd

Australian celebrities have spoken out to support the movement gathering in the US against police brutality following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

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Australian celebrities including Chris Hemsworth and Margot Robbie have called for an end to racism amid civil unrest in the US.

The Thor star led tributes to African-American man George Floyd, whose death last week has sparked global outrage and riots across America.

Floyd died while being restrained by a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, in Minneapolis.

Hemsworth, who lived in Hollywood for several years before moving to Byron Bay, called for justice while sharing Floyd’s photo on Instagram.

Margot Robbie wants all police involved in George Floyd’s death to be charged. Picture: Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images

Thor star Chris Hemsworth has shared on Instagram a photo of George Floyd. Picture: Supplied

Los Angeles-based Robbie urged fans to sign a petition requesting that all police officers involved are arrested and charged.

Supermodel Nicole Trunfio said she is shocked by the silence among some of her white male friends.

“I’ve seen so many people standing up for what’s going on... but I haven’t seen any of my white male friends standing up,” she said on social media.

“If you’re a white male friend of mine, you need to check yourself because now is the time to speak up and support our fellow human beings.”

Hollywood actor Teresa Palmer said she is “disgusted” and shared a list of names of African-Americans whose high-profile deaths have sparked outrage.

Nigerian-born singer Timomatic told Confidential that racism is a global issue.

Protestors hold a picture of George Floyd, who died in Minneapolis while a white officer held his knee on his neck for several minutes. Picture: Seth Herald/AFP

Singer Timomatic says if he lived in the US he would be a similar target.

“This injustice is not based on the nationality of your passport,” the Naked Truth singer said.

“If I was in the US, I would be just as at risk as the rest of my black brothers who live there. This is a race issue, not a location issue. They don’t need to hear your accent to judge you.”

A tweet posted by SBS reporter Ahmed Yussuf garnered criticim after he wrote, “I find it incredibly disingenuous and insensitive that some African-diaspora Australians have co-opted and taken on the trauma and violence that’s happening in Minneapolis as their own. The material political realities aren’t the same. We shouldn’t homogenise trauma and violence.”

Ugandan-born actor Suzan Mutesi dismissed Yussuf’s tweet and said what is happening in the US is a humanity issue.

“History books and documents show that majority of our ancestors were shipped from African soils and were taken to America and other countries to serve as slaves,” the Unapologetically Black author said.

“This is not just an American fight, it’s a call of action to humanity. America is looked upon as an example to the rest of the world and its influence on the world matters in all contexts. “This is not an American issue it’s a humanity issue. George Floyd deserved a peaceful arrest without being manhandled like an animal... My encouragement is let’s fight from a place of love and peace for brothers or sisters but not from a place of hate and pain because that leads to more deaths and pain.”

An SBS spokesperson said: “Ahmed has expressed personal views and reflections as an African-Australian who also writes about the diaspora experience.”

Originally published as Margot Robbie, Timomatic among celebs backing George Floyd