The Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) has condemned recent comments by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who accused Democrats of worshiping George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man who was killed by a white Minneapolis police officer in 2020.
Greene expressed her anger over comments made by Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), speaking to reporters after a House subcommittee hearing on the origins of COVID-19 on Monday.
“Jamie Raskin is accusing us of worshiping Trump, worshiping a convicted felon,” Greene said.
When a reporter pointed out that the former president was convicted of 34 felonies on Thursday and is in fact a convicted felon, Greene cited Floyd.
“Yes, George Floyd. Everybody worships George Floyd, and you in the media worship George Floyd. Democrats worship George Floyd. George Floyd caused the riots and burned the country,” Greene replied.
Protests erupted around the world after Floyd was killed in 2020, with activists calling for immediate police reform, citing the disproportionate number of Black Americans killed by police each year.
Greene also expressed disdain for Dr. Anthony Fauci, the former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and added that she was “sick and tired of the stupidity” of Democrats.
But in sharing clips of her comments on social media, Greene focused on her remarks about Floyd.
“I’m tired of the Democrat antics of claiming Republicans worship Donald Trump. I worship God!” Greene Post to social platform X.
“Democrats still worship convicted George Floyd.”
Her tweet on Tuesday quickly caught the attention of the Congressional Black Caucus.
“This is insanity for @RepMTG,” the group said. I wrote to X.
“Her actions are unacceptable even by the Republican Party’s minimum standards. George Floyd should not have died. Members of Congress should have the decency to recognize his humanity.”
Floyd, who had a history of mostly non-violent drug offences, died after a white police officer knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes.
Meanwhile, video footage shows Floyd repeatedly telling officers around him that he couldn’t breathe.
Following his death, the officers involved in the incident were charged.
Derek Chauvin, the officer who pressed his knee on Mr Floyd’s neck, was convicted of depriving Mr Floyd of his constitutional rights and sentenced to more than 20 years in prison.
Floyd’s family acknowledged the four-year anniversary of his killing last month, and members of the CBC marked the anniversary with the reintroduction of the George Floyd Police Justice Act.
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