Halsey, Demi Lovato + More React to the Police Brutality Murder of George Floyd
Celebrities have shared their outrage and are calling for justice following the police brutality murder of George Floyd.
This week, an unarmed Minneapolis man died after being restrained and forcibly pinned to the ground by authorities. Video footage of his death, which has now gone viral on social media, shows the 46-year-old begging for his life and crying out, "I can’t breathe" and "don't kill me" as a white police officer kneels on his neck.
While the four policemen have been fired and an investigation is underway, many are saying that’s not enough. People are demanding that the officers be charged with Floyd's murder and have taken to the streets to protest.
Online, celebrities and public figures, including Halsey, Demi Lovato, Kim Kardashian, Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift, have also shown their support for Floyd and his family.
"rest in power #GeorgeFloyd an unarmed black man who was murdered by a police officer ON CAMERA. this system is failing the people it should protect. where is the accountability?" Halsey tweeted.
"unfollow me. i don’t care if you don’t want to see 'this stuff' on your timeline," she continued. "Twitter has long since evolved from being an entertainment space to being a center of political conversation."
"talk about this in your homes. Talk to your friends and family. Show them photos. Say his name," Halsey added. "If your loved ones have the privilege to 'stay away from that kind of news' take that fucking privilege away."
The Manic hit-maker also called out celebs for staying silent, slamming the fact that they care more about their "brand" than using their platform for good.
"man f--k every single person with a platform who is choosing to be silent. idc. f--k all of them. you have a platform," she wrote. "you have seen that a man was murdered. you don’t care."
Halsey added, "There are no 'contracts' keeping celebs on American soil from speaking up about this. They are just choosing not to because a brand is more important and they want to keep pocketing the money of racists. F--k all of em. Idc."
Lovato also shared a lengthy statement on Instagram, writing, "This is not okay. And it will not stop until everyone does their part. Especially white people. I said it recently and I’ll say it again, do not let your discomfort surrounding social issues prevent you from speaking up for those IN DANGER."
See more celebrity reactions, below: