Ghana’s President, Nana Akufo-Addo condemns George Floyd’s death

June 2, 2020 1:25 PM

President Nana Akufo-Addo has expressed his disgust towards the killing of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, by a white police officer in the United States of America.

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo

In a Twitter post, President Akufo-Addo said the killing of George Floyd brought back painful memories of how people of colour were treated some decades ago.

“It cannot be right that, in the 21st century, the United States, this great bastion of democracy, continues to grapple with the problem of systemic racism,” his post read.

The president expressed his condolences to the family and friends of Floyd.

“We stand with our kith and kin in America in these difficult and trying times, and we hope that the unfortunate, tragic death of George Floyd will inspire a lasting change in how America confronts head-on the problems of hate and racism.”

George Floyd died on May 25, 2020, in Powderhorn, a neighborhood south of downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The 46-year-old was handcuffed while he laid face down on a city street during an arrest. A white Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, kept his knee on Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds, leading to his death.

According to the criminal complaint against Chauvin, 2 minutes and 53 seconds of that time occurred after Floyd became unresponsive.