The death of George Floyd and the ensuing nationwide protests against police brutality and in support of the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States were addressed by the US Embassy in Reykjavík in statement posted on Facebook this week. The post refers to Floyd’s death at the hands of police officer Derek Chauvin as a “grave tragedy,” even while thanking police, “both in the United States and Iceland, who uphold and defend…basic human rights.”
“As a country governed by the rule of law, the United States’ justice system is taking action to seek accountability and justice in response to Mr. Floyd’s tragic death,” reads the post. “Four officers have been charged in connection to the case, which remains under investigation by state and federal officials.”
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It continues: “Though we face difficult challenges, the United States and free societies are strengthened through the debates produced through our citizens exercising their right to free speech. Governments that take human rights seriously are transparent and we welcome conversations about making our societies better.”
The post then ended with its thank you to police, a response which earned quick rebuke from many commenters, both Icelandic and American among them, as “tone-deaf,” “propaganda,” and “disrespectful,” treating the death of George Floyd as “an isolated incident instead of a cultural and social issue of violence, division, and racism.”
