• Obama, Bush, Clinton and Carter accuse Donald Trump of dividing the US
  • Racial Tension.Multitudinous dismissal to George Floyd marked by the restrictions of the coronavirus: "You changed the world"

There are images that remain forever etched in the collective memory, either because of the historical moment in which they were produced for their drama and symbolism , such as the mythical photo of the tank man in Tiananmen Square, or for his beauty, such as the legendary Times Square kiss. The racial protests that are taking place in the United States after the death of George Floyd also accumulate several of those moments that are not forgotten, such as a devastating video that shows in all its harshness the reality that is lived these days in the streets of the country .

It happened on Thursday night in the city of Buffalo, upstate New York, during a demonstration in front of the city hall, when a 75-year-old man approached a group of police officers and after exchanging a few brief words received a push from part of two agents. The man lost his balance and after taking a few steps back he ended up hitting himself hard on the head and lying on the ground while bleeding .

The incident took place minutes after eight in the afternoon when the curfew took effect in the city and dozens of agents began to disperse the protesters. According to a first police report, the old man was wounded after "tripping and falling" to the ground in what a department spokesman described as a "skirmish" that ended with several people being detained .

The reality was slightly different from how the police department initially painted it as the entire sequence was shot on a mobile by local reporter Mike Desmond, who works for the WBFO radio station. The protagonist of the images was identified hours later as Martin Gugino and had to be transferred to the Erie County Medical Center hospital to be treated for his injuries. According to the medical report, the man suffered a concussion and this Friday remained serious but in stable condition.

In just a couple of hours, since Thursday night it was first published on the Twitter account of an affiliated NPR public radio station, the harsh images had exceeded 10 million views, and this Friday it was already It had gone viral on social media, with more than 60 million views, both in the United States and in other parts of the world.

If they had not seen what really happened, it is very likely that the agents involved would have gone out of their way. But in the times that we live, where mobile phones become a very good tool to refute the official account of the events, this has not happened, since the Buffalo Police Department has ended up firing unemployed and paying both of them agents involved in the push.

This was announced by the mayor of the city, Byron Brown, who was "deeply disturbed" by what happened and assured that he will continue to work with the police and community leaders to fight against racial injustice in Buffal o. Erie County executive Mark Polocarz, for whom the police firing "is not enough" and demanded that they be brought to justice, was not so kind.

Images of the Buffalo incident reignited spirits and sparked a wave of criticism from leading political figures such as Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocassio-Cortez or New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who called the police officers' actions unwarranted. and embarrassing. "The police are there to enforce the law, not to abuse it," he said on his Twitter account.

Also a vigorous protest by organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), "The cruelty demonstrated by these Buffalo agents during a peaceful demonstration against police violence is unacceptable: Police cannot continue to hide behind lies "His Buffalo representative, John Curr, said in a statement.

In accordance with the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

  • United States
  • George Floyd

Direct WitnessLos Angeles joins the peace in its most massive march against racism

Racial Tension Protests Against Police Violence And Racism Set The US On Fire And Donald Trump Threatens To Activate The Army

Racial tension Barricades, tear gas and projectile launch in protest of thousands of people in Paris against police violence

Close links of interest

  • News
  • Programming
  • Translator
  • Calendar
  • Horoscope
  • Classification
  • League calendar
  • Films
  • Masters 2019
  • Cut notes
  • Themes
  • Vitória Guimarães - Sporting CP
  • Santa Clara - Sporting Braga
  • Sport-Club Freiburg - Borussia Mönchengladbach
  • Desportivo Aves - Belenenses