Derek Chauvin trial verdict - statement

“Last May, we were shocked by the brutal murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis in the United States. Many of us watched the recording of his death with horror and anger. It rightly ignited fury across the world, as well as here in Islington, and sparked global protests.

“Last night, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of all charges in the murder of George Floyd. It is right and proper that George Floyd’s murderer has been held to account, which is so often not the case in the many other murders of unarmed and innocent Black people in the United States and here in the UK. Having said this, we cannot ignore the fact that the other police officers involved in the incident have not yet been held accountable for their part in his death, and that this event has been overshadowed by another brutal police killing of Black female teenager. As George Floyd’s murder trial concluded, Ma’Khia Bryant was shot in front of her home and family by the police perpetuating the racism and injustice that killed George Floyd. Accountability is a step in the right direction and the correct verdict was served in last night’s trial however the fight against racism and injustice must continue. 

"We stand in solidarity with all of those fighting against racial injustice. We know that this is not an issue confined to the US: systemic racism and injustice blights our communities here in the UK, which we are reminded of by the anniversary of the murder of Stephen Lawrence tomorrow. We are committed to continuing to fight this injustice through our Challenging Inequality strategy.” 

"If you have any thoughts on things we should consider doing to tackle inequality, please email equalities@islington.gov.uk." 

Chief Executive Officer, Linzi Roberts-Egan, and Director of Fairer Together, Amy Buxton-Jennings