REPORTAGE
The golden coffin has been permanently closed. The funeral of George Floyd took place Tuesday in Houston, Texas, two weeks after the death of this black American asphyxiated by a police officer whose ordeal has sparked massive protests in the United States and around the world. The ceremony took place in a gospel atmosphere. On the scene sat portraits of Floyd, wings of angels hanging from the shoulder blades. In the church, the public was restricted due to coronavirus: only 500 people in a huge building that could have contained four times more. There was of course George Floyd's family, including his six-year-old daughter Giana, all dressed in white.
"This moment must be more important than anything"
Also in attendance are the Rev. Al Sharpton, a civil rights figure, actor Jamie Foxx, and other figures, such as Representative Al Green, elected Texas black congressman. He compared this funeral to a moment as crucial as the march of Martin Luther King to Selma, Alabama in 1965. "We are mourning today to eliminate hatred. This moment must be more important than anything. shows that we are at a turning point, the question is how are we going to capture this moment. Are we going to transform it to make a difference? Or will it be a moment like any other? " he questioned.
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6,000 people paid tribute to him
Once the ceremony was over, the body of George Floyd headed for the cemetery, in a procession worthy of a head of state. The golden coffin was placed on board a white horse-drawn carriage and escorted by bikers from the Houston police. More than 6,000 people had paraded all day in front of his coffin exposed in the church, for a prayer or to say a last word to him, fist raised.