Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford offers powerful ‘Black Lives Matter’ message amid George Floyd protests
Marcus Rashford #MarcusRashford
Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford has provided a powerful ‘Black Lives Matter’ message following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, insisting society is “more divided than ever”.
Floyd, an unarmed black man, died last week after a police officer knelt on his neck for at least eight minutes. The officer in question, Derek Chauvin, has since been fired from the police force and charged with murder and manslaughter.
A video of the incident went viral and received global backlash, with protests since occurring both in America and beyond.
Rashford – releasing the message across his social media platforms – says in a time where unity is key, he believes the opposite is occurring.
“I know you guys haven’t heard from me in a few days,” he said. “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’s England team-mate Jadon Sancho – who has been heavily linked with a move to United of late – also addressed the issue, stating: “We shouldn’t fear speaking out for what’s right.”
The Borussia Dortmund winger also revealed the message ‘Justice for George Floyd’ on his t-shirt after scoring the first of his three goals in a 6-1 win over Paderborn.
Premier League leaders Liverpool have also expressed their support for the Black Lives Matter movement.
As requested by the players, they posted a photograph across social media of their first-team squad taking a knee with the caption: “Unity is strength #BlackLivesMatter”.