"Society ‘more divided than ever" — Rashford reacts to George Floyd's death
Manchester United and England striker Marcus Rashford has admitted that society “appears to be more divided than ever” following the death of American George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Floyd, an unarmed African-American black man arrested Powderhorn last week, died after an officer knelt on his neck repeatedly while in custody. His death has triggered numerous protests, both peaceful and violent, across the United States with clashes between authorities and protesters spiralling out of control, while support against racial injustice has been witnessed across the globe.
Several footballers have thrown their support behind the #BlackLivesMatter campaign, with 22-year-old Rashford following the lead of England teammate Jadon Sancho by issuing a passionate statement expressing his thoughts on the current situation surrounding racial inequality.
"I know you guys haven't heard from me in a few days,” Rashford said on Instagram. “I've been trying to process what is going on in the world.
"At a time I've been asking people to come together, work together and be united, we appear to (be) more divided than ever. People are hurting and people need answers.
"Black lives matter. Black culture matters. Black communities matter. We matter."
Rashford also included three separate hashtags, the first reading Justice for George Floyd before repeating the same message for Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor, who were of African-American descent and both fatally shot in separate incidents in the US earlier this year.
Rashford’s comments on Monday followed a defiant statement from Sancho during Borussia Dortmund’s 6-1 victory over Paderborn at the weekend, where the former Manchester City winger lifted off his shirt to reveal a message of ‘Justice for George Floyd’ written on his undershirt. Sancho was booked for the move, but he explained afterwards that the hat-trick he scored in the Bundesliga match had been overshadowed by events in America and the treatment of BAME people worldwide.
“Solid performance from the team!” Sancho said. “Delighted to get my first career hat-trick, a bittersweet moment personally as there are more important things going on in the world today that we must address and help make a change.
“We shouldn’t fear speaking out for what’s right, we have to come together as one and fight for justice. We are stronger together! #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd.”
The two are far from the only sporting athletes to express their support for those protesting against racial inequality in the US. Six-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton issued a strong statement on Sunday condemning his peers for their failure to speak out.
Hamilton is the only black driver currently on the grid in Formula One, with just one other black man getting the chance to test in the form of American driver Willy T Ribbs in 1986 with the Bernie Ecclestone-owned Brabham team. There have been a handful of other drivers of BAME origin in the sport’s history, including current Red Bull driver Alex Albon who is of Thai descent, but on the whole F1 is a white-male dominated sport.
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