European Union leaders concerned about US racism

European Union lawmakers are expressing concern about U.S. police action linked to the death of George Floyd. The incidents were debated by the EU parliament's Subcommittee on Human Rights as the protest movement since Floyd's death gathered pace in Europe and around the world.

Finnish Greens lawmaker Heidi Hautala says “the police should not be there to shoot when some loot. The police should be there to protect, and it is clear that widespread reforms in the law enforcement in the United States are needed.” Irish EU lawmaker Sean Kelly says some of the problem is due to a failure of leadership. He says what happened in the United States is “chilling in the extreme. I think it indicates what can happen when you have poor leadership. "Leaders can either divide or unite. Good unite. Bad divide. That's what we see unfortunately in America at the moment.” Swedish liberal parliamentarian Karin Karlsbro says “America has a long and tragic history on police brutality. At the heart of this lies racism and segregation based on history. This is a systematic problem that needs to be addressed at all levels in the US”.

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