George Floyd: Sports stars join ‘Blackout Tuesday’

(BBC) Athletes and teams around the world have taken a blackout on social media in response to George Floyd’s death.

Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American man, died on 25 May after a white police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes. Minneapolis policeman Derek Chauvin has been sacked and charged with third-degree murder.

In the meantime, protests have swept across the US and the UK – and sports stars have added their voices in various ways too.

Yesterday, across the world, people and organisations have been sharing a simple, but striking message of protest, with a social media ‘blackout’.

‘Blackout Tuesday’ began as an initiative in the music industry, with record labels promising, “a day to disconnect from work and reconnect with our community”.

The message has spread beyond music and Instagram, in particular, has been flooded with blacked-out images in a show of solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.

In the US, major NBA stars have shared the same message.