Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday has said that he is happy to look into any complaints regarding the inappropriate use of riot control equipment produced in the UK by US police officers during the ongoing George Floyd protests
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd June, 2020) Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday has said that he is happy to look into any complaints regarding the inappropriate use of riot control equipment produced in the UK by US police officers during the ongoing George Floyd protests.
During a session of Prime Minister's Questions in parliament, the Commons leader of the Scottish National Party Ian Blackford pressed the prime minister to comment on the ongoing public unrest in the United States after the death of George Floyd, an African-American male, in the custody of Minneapolis police officers. In particular, Blackford asked the prime minister if he would reassess the UK's export of riot control equipment, including tear gas and bullets, to the US in light of the riots.
"I'm happy to look into any complaints, but as he knows, all exports are conducted in accordance with the consolidated guidance and the UK is possibly the most scrupulous country in that respect in the world," Johnson said in response.
The prime minister added that he understood the anger and grief that is being felt in the United States and across the world after Floyd's death.
On May 26, a video went viral showing a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, kneeling on Floyd's neck for multiple minutes while the latter was lying on the ground and handcuffed. Floyd was later reported dead, sparking a wave of protests across the United States.
There have been multiple reports of law enforcement officers using excessive force on peaceful protesters and members of the media during a week of demonstrations. On Tuesday, Nicole Roussell, a Sputnik producer, was shot in the calf by a rubber bullet after police opened fire at protesters in Washington, DC.
