By Prof. Engr. Zamir Ahmed Awan
Human life is the most precious thing in this universe. The loss of even one single life is a net loss to the humankind.
Either it is black or white, the loss of life is not acceptable. Either it is in America or any other part of the world, the suffering of humankind is not acceptable. Either rich or poor, any religion or any ethnicity, the human lives are sacred and must be respected. We sincerely wish an early end to violence and urge both sides to cool down and observe restraints and patience. Save the human lives and respect humanity.
The Government may take appropriate measures to cool down the protesters. The murder of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, has turned into a political stand, it must be dealt with the political approach. Irrespective of your position with Government or public, the killing of a citizen in such a brutal manner is not accepted by any means and must be condemned.
If the Government wanted to settle down, this issue immediately must punish all police officials involved in the killing immediately. The scheduled court appearance on 8th June is too late. It allows people to continue protests until that time. If the punishment is announced immediately, the protesters might go back to their homes, and the situation may return to normal.
Furthermore, the release of all arrests and cases filed against protesters should be removed immediately. Use of force, and especially “Shooting,” may be counterproductive. Restrictions on Media have already back-fired and distorted the Administrations’ image.
Protests gained momentum all-across the US over the death of unarmed black man George Floyd at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota. At least 40 cities have imposed curfews, and National Guard members have been activated in 23 states and Washington, DC. Even White house is no longer safe, and President Trump, along with his family, has shifted to Kanzas under the ground.
Armored vehicles and armed troops were seen everywhere. Protests were spreading rapidly, with more intensity. Although one police officer, who was seen in a video with his knee on Floyd’s neck, was charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter — but protesters and critics believe the charge is not harsh enough. Protesters want to see charges for all four police officers involved in the death of Floyd.
Although it seems that the immediate concern is the death of George Floyd, however, the background story is long and sad. The racism in the US has victimized many blacks, Asians, and other minorities. Especially under President Trump’s Administration, the feeling of white supremacy become more evident. Discrimination, hate, and injustice was felt widely, and the public burst at this moment suddenly. They wanted to settle all previous accounts too.
It is noticed that, among protesters, it is not only Blacks, but many white people are also seen in the videos and eye-witnessed reports. It is not only black people, but sometimes poor white was also victimized. The highly polarized society of the US is on the verge of collapse. As long as the country was prospering and everyone was getting sufficient dividends to live a comfortable life, no problem surfaced.
However, with the decline of the economy, people are suffering and getting mad. Protests are not only against a single incident; in fact, so many incidents of injustice, hate, and discrimination happened that piled up to a stage where the outbreak of protests was inevitable.
The Government’s capacity for handing such protests was limited, and wrong decisions made the protests further flares. The US was a country advocating for freedom of expression, but snubbing media has added fuel to the fire. Peaceful agitation and protests were the legal right of US citizens by their constitution.
However, the use of force by the authorities and brutality has forced the protesters to be violent. Remarks like “Shoot at Spot” are dangerous orders indeed. It is time to deliver justice; it is an open secret that the Police officer killed him deliberately, and others facilitated him or at least not resisted. Judiciary must act swiftly and punish them publicly; it will cool down the protesters immediately. The more the Government delays or protects the criminal police, the more anger may rise among the protesters.
“The Gun Culture” society is highly charged and can lead to any much dangerous severe stage. The Government’s inability to address the public concerns in time and appropriately may complicate the situation further.
In fact, the CIA was involved in subversion and sabotage activities in foreign countries. CIA was always engaged in toppling legitimate governments around the world if they consider them ‘unfriendly”. The US penetrate into a country under the umbrella of friendship and identify then cultivate disgruntle or destitute people, train them, fund them, and finally exploit them in various sabotage and subversion activities. The US government is always meddling into the domestic affairs of other countries. Unfortunately, they were not trained to handle protests on their own soil.
The US behavior in the Middle-East, North America, and in many other parts of the world was beyond the UN Charter. They by-pass UN, International Community, and all forms of the civilized world, and considers them as above the law. The US was responsible for millions of human lives around the world, and yet not feeling guilty.
We wish peace and safety to humankind in any corner of the world. Pray for the victims and share grieves with their families.
Author: Prof. Engr. Zamir Ahmed Awan, Sinologist (ex-Diplomat), Editor, Analyst, Non-Resident Fellow of CCG (Center for China and Globalization), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan)
(The views expressed in this article belong only to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy or views of World Geostrategic Insights).