The United States Embassy in Athens hung a Black Lives Matter banner on Tuesday to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
“We raise this banner in honor of George Floyd, murdered one year ago today, in solidarity with people around the globe seeking a world without racial discrimination and a future with equal opportunity for all,” the embassy wrote in a statement.
The embassy shared a video of the banner hanging on Facebook.
The United States Consulate in Thessaloniki also raised a BLM banner on Tuesday.
The embassy and consulate followed a broader initiative from other U.S. government entities and officials — including the State Department and President Joe Biden — to commemorate Floyd’s death.
“It’s been one year since George Floyd was murdered. In that time, George’s family has shown extraordinary courage,” Biden wrote on Twitter. “Last month’s conviction was a step towards justice – but we cannot stop there. We face an inflection point. We have to act.”
“The U.S. Department of State joins the nation and the world in marking one year since George Floyd’s murder,” the department wrote on Twitter. “As [Secretary Antony Bliken] has said, we must commit to accountability, healing, and doing the concrete work of advancing equity and justice for all.”
