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Derek Chauvin trial: World reacts to George Floyd verdict

A US sports club has tried to be a part of the social justice movement after the George Floyd verdict, but they couldn’t have done a worse job.

Ben GrahamBen Graham
@bengrahamjourno
4 min read
April 21, 2021 - 6:27AM
US reacts as ex-cop Derek Chauvin is found guilty in George Floyd's death

The world is reacting to the verdict in trial of Derek Chauvin, the former police officer charged with murder and manslaughter of George Floyd — after he was found guilty on all three counts.

The 12-person jury deliberated for about 10 hours before arriving at a unanimous verdict, finding Chauvin guilty on all three counts: second degree unintentional murder, third degree murder and second degree manslaughter.

People react as the verdict is announced in the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin outside the Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis. Picture: Chandan Khanna / AFP
People react as the verdict is announced in the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin outside the Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis. Picture: Chandan Khanna / AFP

That means he faces a maximum sentence of 40 years, though the guidelines for an offender with no criminal record suggest a sentence of about 12.5 years.

There were wild celebrations outside the court as the news dropped and many people took to social media to express their opinions.

The Las Vegas Raiders — an American football team — tried to be a part of the social justice conversation, but they couldn’t have done a worse job.

The Raiders’ social media account tweeted out, “I CAN BREATHE” with the date and the team logo — and they pinned to the top of their account.

Thousands have slammed the post, saying they feel it’s very insensitive to Mr Floyd, who told officers, “I can’t breathe” more than 20 times while being forcefully detained by Chauvin.

“No this is bad, really really bad. Who approved this??” asked one person.

“How many people participated in the approval process of this tweet” asked another.

‘Insane’: Conservatives explode at verdict

The verdict has not pleased everyone. Even before the verdict came in, conservative commentators were questioning the fairness of the legal process.

Many were upset with the politicisation of the trial, and felt the jury were essentially bullied into finding Chauvin guilty.

Speaking to reporters ahead of the announcement that a verdict had been reached, President Joe Biden called for the “right” decision in the racially charged trial.

Others react with joy to verdict

However, many around the world have reacted with joy to the verdict, saying that justice had been served.

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump hailed the conviction as a “turning point in history” for the deeply divided United States.

“Painfully earned justice has finally arrived for George Floyd’s family,” tweeted Crump, the Floyd family lawyer, as Derek Chauvin was found guilty in a unanimous decision by a Minneapolis jury.

“This verdict is a turning point in history and sends a clear message on the need for accountability of law enforcement. Justice for Black America is justice for all of America!”

Others said there was no cause for celebration, adding that it won’t bring Mr Floyd back and that it changes nothing about racism in America.

MSNBC contributor Jason Johnson said he is “not pleased” with the verdict.

“I actually always thought he would be found guilty because it’s sort of a cultural makeup call,” Jackson said in response to the guilty verdict. “I’m not happy. I’m not pleased. I don’t have any sense of satisfaction. I don’t think this is the system working. I don’t think this is a good thing.

“What this says to me is that in order to get a nominal degree of justice in this country, that a Black man has to be murdered, on air, viewed by the entire world. There would have to be a year’s worth of protests, and a phalanx of other white police officers to tell one white officer he was wrong, in order to get one scintilla of justice,” Johnson said.

“That doesn’t make me feel happy. That doesn’t make me feel satisfied. It makes me worry about what’s going to happen when these other officers are held on trial,” he continued.

“It makes me upset all the more that we didn’t have this for Breonna Taylor. It makes me concerned about what’s going to happen in the trial for Ahmaud Arbery. No. This is not the system working. This is a makeup call. This is the justice system trying to say, Hey, this is one bad apple.”

Former President Barack Obama said that today “a jury in Minneapolis did the right thing”.

“But if we’re being honest with ourselves, we know that true justice is about much more than a single verdict,” he said.

Nancy Pelosi’s bizarre reaction

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Mr Floyd’s murder was a sacrifice he made “for justice”.

“Thank you, George Floyd, for sacrificing your life for justice,” Pelosi said. “For being there to call out to your mom — how heartbreaking was that? Call out for your mom ‘I can’t breathe. But because of you and because of thousands, millions of people around the world who came out for justice, you name will always be synonymous with justice.”

Pelosi was quickly denounced for her remarks, with many users pointing out that Floyd did not voluntarily give up his life for justice.

“Nancy Pelosi saying thank you to George Floyd for ‘sacrificing’ his life,” one person tweeted. “He didn’t ‘sacrifice’ his life, his life was simply taken. He was murdered.”

Wild celebrations outside the court

In Minneapolis, where the trial took place, there were scenes of wild celebration following the verdict.

Here are some of the best pictures.

There were scenes of wild celebration following the verdict. Picture: Chandan Khanna / AFP
There were scenes of wild celebration following the verdict. Picture: Chandan Khanna / AFP
A man celebrates as the verdict is announced. Picture: Chandan Khanna / AFP
A man celebrates as the verdict is announced. Picture: Chandan Khanna / AFP
Former police officer Derek Chauvin was on trial on second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter charges. Picture: Scott Olson/Getty Images/AFP
Former police officer Derek Chauvin was on trial on second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter charges. Picture: Scott Olson/Getty Images/AFP

Amid fears of unrest, National Guard troops have been deployed in Minneapolis and Washington, the nation’s capital.

Minneapolis has been the scene of nightly protests since Daunte Wright, a 20-year-old Black man, was shot dead in a suburb of the Minnesota city on April 11 by a white policewoman.

In Washington, the National Guard said some 250 troops were being deployed “to support local law enforcement” in response to potential demonstrations.

– more to come

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/world/north-america/us-politics/derek-chauvin-trial-world-reacts-with-shock-to-george-floyd-verdict/news-story/2d9f43995e479d95bd2924983528c71c