Pelosi under fire after thanking Floyd for ‘sacrificing’ his life for justice

US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi has thanked George Floyd for "sacrificing" his life for "justice."

"Thank you George Floyd for sacrificing your life for justice," Pelosi said during a press conference following Derek Chauvin's conviction. "Because of you, and because of thousands — millions — of people around the world who came out for justice, your name will always be synonymous with justice."

Pelosi’s remarks attracted a lot of criticism from some politicians and Twitter users.

"Speaker Pelosi's comment about George Floyd was totally inappropriate. At a minimum, she should apologize," said Josh McLaurin, a Democratic member of the Georgia state legislature, on Twitter. "But more than that, I think the gaffe clarifies how much this country would benefit from a Black Speaker of the House."

In response, the office of Pelosi tried to clarify her initial comments via a short statement.

"George Floyd should be alive today. His family’s calls for justice for his murder were heard around the world. He did not die in vain," she said. "We must make sure other families don't suffer the same racism, violence & pain, and we must enact the George Floyd #JusticeInPolicing Act."

The comments by Pelosi came after a Minneapolis jury announced on Teusday that it has found former officer Derek Chauvin guilty of all the three criminal counts he was facing over the killing of George Floyd in May 2020.

George Floyd should be alive today. His family’s calls for justice for his murder were heard around the world. He did not die in vain. We must make sure other families don't suffer the same racism, violence & pain, and we must enact the George Floyd #JusticeInPolicing Act. https://t.co/tWln9NRg1g

— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) April 20, 2021

He faces up to 40 years in prison for second-degree murder, up to 25 years for third-degree murder and up to 10 years for second-degree manslaughter.

Floyd’s killing brought US racism back into focus and became an emblem of the Black Lives Matter movement.

It has, however, not stopped trigger-happy cops from unleashing terror on hapless minorities, including African Americans and Asian Americans.

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