No Russian Citizens Among Those Injured In George Floyd Protests In US - Foreign Ministry

Sumaira FH Published June 02, 2020 | 02:20 AM

KRASNOYARSK (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd June, 2020) There are no Russian citizens among those injured during ongoing protests in the United States that erupted in the wake of the death of African American man George Floyd in police custody, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Monday.

"As of Sunday, according to the data of our Russian embassy in Washington, which accumulates information from all foreign facilities throughout the United States, according to them, thank God, there are no victims among our citizens," Zakharova said, as aired by the Rossiya 1 broadcaster.

The spokeswoman also addressed an assault by police on RIA Novosti correspondent, Mikhail Turgiyev. The reporter was pepper-sprayed in the face by a Minneapolis police officer despite identifying himself as a journalist, while covering protests against police brutality and racism on Sunday.

Zakharova said that the Foreign Ministry and the Russian embassy in the United States had expressed protest in connection with "clearly, intentionally aggressive, unacceptable actions against the Russian journalist," adding that the US police should not distinguish between foreign and local reporters.

Reporters from other media outlets have also been subject to harassment while attempting to cover the ongoing riots. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz apologized to reporters who had been detained or attacked by the police on Sunday. The Russian Embassy in the US, in turn, sent a note of protest to the US State Department.

Demonstrators across the United States have been protesting against police brutality and racism since May 25, when unarmed George Floyd died at the hands of a white police officer in the city of Minneapolis.

The protests erupted after a video surfaced online showing the police officer, Derek Chauvin, kneeling on Floyd's neck for more than eight minutes right before the latter died. Chauvin has been arrested and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.