ENGLISH NEWS: THE GEORGE FLYOD PROTESTS

S’intéresser à la langue anglaise, c’est s’intéresser aux pays qui la parle, et se tenir aux courants des actualités. Je vous propose aujourd’hui une nouvelle rubrique, English News, rédigée par moi-même et qui présente un résumé d’évènements important. Vous avez sans doute entendu parler des manifestations qui secouent les USA en ce moment, mais peut être n’avez vous pas tous les détails. Comme nous avons fait une séquence sur la question Afro-américaine, ce nouvel exemple de racisme systémique très récent était parlant (et pourrait peut être changer certaines choses).
Si vous avez des questions, nous pourrons en discuter dans notre prochaine classe virtuelle. 

What is happening now in the United States?
The country is having a lot of demonstrations (manifestations) and protests because in a 34 years-old Afro-American man named George Floyd have been suffocated by a white police officer on May 25th, in the town of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Why was George Floyd arrested?
George Floyd had bought cigarettes in a shop and was later suspected of having used a fake banknote (faux billets) of $20. The shopkeepers called the police and George Floyd was arrested.

How did George Floyd died?
A policeman named Derek Chauvin decided to maintain George Floyd with handcuffs (menottes) on the floor. He then put his knee on his neck and kept that position for a long time. George Floyd repeated several times “I can’t breathe” (“Je ne peux pas respirer”) and died.

Why did nobody do anything to stop the policeman?
Several witnesses (témoins) saw the policeman and told him to stop, but Derek Chauvin didn’t move. People shot videos of the scene, showing that George Floyd was not violent or resisting his arrest.

What happened after?
The death of George Floyd created a lot of protest around the country, with people claiming for justice. Protesters say that this death is just an example of a long series of police violence targeting (qui ciblent) Afro-American communities.
People were also unhappy that the policeman was sentenced (inculpé) for “involuntary manslaughter” (homicide involontaire), when it is obvious (évident) that it was not an accident.

What is Donald Trump’s reaction?
Donald Trump said that the death of George Floyd was a tragedy. But he is more interested in condemning the protesters. He said that he wants to put Antifas (mouvement anti-fasciste) on the list of terrorist organizations.

Why ?
Some protests have turned into riots (émeute) with a lot of property damaged and vandalized in some areas. But the majorities of the protests have be peaceful (pacifiques).

What are the latest news (les dernières nouvelles) ?
The policeman Derek Chauvin has finally been condemned for murder (meurtre), so protesters have been a bit happier. There was a big ceremony for the funerals of George Floyd with 8 minutes of silence in the city (8 minutes was the time the policeman had his knee on George Floyd’s neck). The Governor of Minnesota have decided NOT to give more budget to the police force and will use the money to help the structures in Afro-American communities areas.