We condemn the racist killing by U.S. public authorities and the violent suppression of anti-discrimination protests. The U.S. government must severely punish the police officers who killed George Floyd and the authorities concerned! As a member of the UN Human Rights Council, the Korean government must condemn the racist state violence of the United States and enact an anti-discrimination law!
On the 25th of last month, four police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the United States, caused the death of George Floyd, an African American, through an abuse of public power during an arrest. Although he was unarmed and was not resisting the officers’ orders, one officer pressed a knee on his neck and killed him. As a result, the whole of the United States is seething with protests against racism.
At the same time as protests break out across the United States, looting is rampant in major cities because of economic inequality and the absence of public order. Citing this, the U.S. government is using harsh suppression and violence even against citizens exercising their right to peaceful assembly and protest. At a time when looting and arson are frequent, violently suppressing citizens who continue to protest peacefully is a tyranny of public power.
The current attitude of the U.S. government is highly discriminatory, depending on race and on the issue. Just one month ago, many white people held protests demanding “end the lockdown” against the government’s policies on the coronavirus crisis, yet there was no forcible suppression. Even though many of the protesters at the time were carrying firearms and occupied the Michigan state legislature building, almost no forcible suppression or violence occurred.
The U.S. government’s attitude toward the present protests, however, is the exact opposite. At this very moment, while the protests continue, the police are responding in a discriminatory manner according to race and appearance and committing human rights abuses, and the level of violence is also extremely high. The police continue to use flash-bang grenades and rubber bullets against protesters, threatening their lives and physical safety, and in Washington, D.C., dangerous responses continue, such as hovering Black Hawk helicopters at low altitude to intimidate citizens.
Currently, a total of 13 deaths have been officially confirmed across the United States, and at least 5,600 citizens are confirmed to have been arrested. President Trump is vilifying the situation as “domestic terrorism by the radical left and Antifa (anti-fascists)” and is taking an extremely hardline response, saying he will invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807 and deploy the U.S. federal military to end the situation. This is the same kind of response as sending troops against the Gwangju Democratization Movement in Korea in the past, and it is a deeply mistaken measure that could lead to yet another bloodshed.
The history of the United States, a superpower, is at the same time a history of discrimination, plunder and killing against Black people and other non-white races. Before the Trump administration uses the violence of some protesters as a pretext to commit lethal violence against all protest participants, it should clearly recognize the history of discrimination and violence and the present inequality that are the cause of their anger.
In the name of civil society from all walks of life in Korea, and in order to resist together this anti-human-rights and discriminatory situation, we condemn the U.S. government that is repressing its own people. This is not only a problem of the United States. Korea, too, has a past in which it repeatedly committed such state violence, and people who suffered harm in many incidents over the past decade or more, such as the Yongsan disaster and the Sewol ferry disaster, still live in pain. Racism and discrimination are also deeply rooted in Korean society, and many migrant workers and undocumented foreign nationals are suffering from discrimination in this land right now. While mourning George Floyd, we hope to eliminate discrimination in Korean society as well. In addition, we ask the Korean government and media not to focus only on the safety of Korean nationals living abroad, but also to reflect seriously on the problem of racial discrimination.
Just as, in the past, when the movement for democracy in Korea was active, American civil society stood in solidarity with Korean democracy activists and gave them strength, we will stand in solidarity with the citizens of the United States. Accordingly, we condemn the U.S. government that is repressing its own citizens who demand the elimination of discrimination, and we strongly request the following.
– The U.S. government must severely punish the police officers who killed George Floyd and the authorities concerned!
– We condemn American racism and the repression and unlawful arrest of African Americans. The U.S. government must immediately stop its discriminatory exercise of public power!
– The Korean government must state a clear position against American racism and state violence, and must also take active steps against racial discrimination at home, including enacting an anti-discrimination law!
June 5, 2020
Joint Action to Condemn the Killing of George Floyd and Against Discrimination
Signing organisations: NCCK 인권센터, 출판사 창작과 담론, 천주교인권위원회, 국가폭력에 저항하는 아시아 공동행동 토쿄 지부, 국제민주연대, 행동하는성소수자인권연대, 정의당 경기도당 청년위원회, 정의당 청년당원모임 모멘텀, 한국성적소수자문화인권센터, 가족구성권연구소, 책방 만유인력, 화분안죽이기실천시민연합(CCPS), 피스모모(PEACEMOMO), 한국게이인권운동단체 친구사이, 한국YMCA전국연맹, 서울인권영화제, 미디어기독연대 표현의자유와언론탄압공동대책위원회, 정의당 경기도당 성소수자위원회, 맑스.넷 – 위험한 독서회, 이주민센터 친구, 깨어있는대구시민들, MARCO-이주연구행동모임, 이주여성인권포럼, 향린, 성적권리와 재생산정의를 위한 센터 셰어 SHARE, 민생경제연구소, 이주노동자 차별철폐와 인권·노동권 실현을 위한 공동행동(건강권실현을위한보건의료단체연합, 경기이주공대위, 김포이웃살이, 공익인권법재단 공감, 구속노동자후원회, 노동당, 노동사회과학연구소, 노동전선, 노동자연대, 녹색당, 대한성공회 용산나눔의집, 대한불교조계종사회노동위원회, 문화연대, 민주사회를위한변호사모임노동위원회, 민주주의법학연구회, 민주평등사회를 위한 전국교수연구자협의회, 사회변혁노동자당, 사회진보연대, 이주노동자노동조합(MTU), (사)이주노동희망센터, 이주노동자운동후원회, 이주민방송(MWTV), 이주민센터 친구, 전국민주노동조합총연맹, 전국불안정노동철폐연대, 전국빈민연합, 전국철거민연합, 전국학생행진, 정의당, 지구인의정류장, 천주교인권위원회, 필리핀공동체카사마코, (사)한국불교종단협의회인권위원회, 한국비정규노동센터), 한-홍 민주동행, 예술해방전선, 느헤미야 예수행동, 한국외국어대학교 생활자치도서관, 노동자투쟁, 인권운동네트워크 바람, 외국인이주노동자인권을위한모임, 전국장애인차별철폐연대, 한국장애포럼, 현대정치철학연구회, 어둠속의 대화, 민중당 인권위원회, 공익법센터 어필, 진보네트워크센터, 한국장애인재활협회, 노들장애인자립생활센터, 서울녹색당, 외국인이주·노동운동협의회, 장애여성공감, 오류동퀴어세미나, 다른세상을향한연대, 인권운동공간 활, 인천인권영화제, 소수자난민인권네트워크, 반도체 노동자의 건강과 인권지킴이 반올림, CERD권고이행모니터링단, 촛불혁명완성연대, 청년녹색당, 촛불혁명, 인권운동사랑방, 대학YMCA전국연맹, 용산참사진상규명위원회, 전북평화와인권연대, 민주사회를 위한 변호사모임 국제연대위원회, 난민인권센터, 아시아평화를향한이주 MAP, 손잡고, 다산인권센터, 플랫폼c, 두레방, 참여연대
Individual signatories: 이상현 외 122명