Floyd Statue In Brooklyn Vandalized Days After Installation, Sparking Hate Crime Probe

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th June, 2021) A George Floyd statue, which was unveiled less than a week ago in New York City, was defaced by unknown persons on Thursday, a day before the police officer charged with his murder was to be sentenced, the Mayor of New York City said.

"Last night a far-right extremist group vandalized a statue of George Floyd in Brooklyn. A racist, loathsome, despicable act of hate. The City Cleanup Corps is repairing the statue right now and a hate crime investigation is underway. We will bring these cowards to justice," Bill de Blasio said on Twitter.

A statue of George Floyd in Brooklyn was installed to commemorate the Juneteenth, Liberation Day, the end of slavery in the US. Early on Thursday, the monument was spray-painted black and marked with the name of a white supremacist group Patriot Front, that originates from neo-Nazism, The New York Times reports.

George Floyd died in May 2020 in Minneapolis during a brutal arrest by the police officer Derek Chauvin. The case provoked a massive movement against police violence and racism. Chauvin is now under arrest and is to be sentenced soon.