Bengaluru: The killing of African-American George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota has given rise to riots in the United States. 

Protests were also held in Kolkata with the effigy of Donald Trump being burnt. 

Also Read: Donald Trump effigy burnt in Kolkata

While the protests take place, the Hindu American Foundation (HAF), a United States-based education and advocacy group, has called upon the US police to acknowledge and eliminate “systemic racism and excessive use of force” in their ranks, as reported by a popular website. 

“We strongly condemn the actions of those, regardless of political ideology, using the cover of peaceful protests to cause destruction and further violence,” the HAF said.

“And we believe ahimsa (non-harming) and satya (truth) are the most powerful tools for bringing about much needed change,” it added.

“As Americans, we must wrestle with two dissonant truths: that the founders of the United States created a nation philosophically promising freedom and equality for all people, and that this nation was built on the backs of enslaved Africans and the spilled blood of Native Americans,” HAF Executive Director Suhag Shukla said.

“Throughout our history, other immigrant communities and people of color have also faced racism and xenophobia, but these two communities have borne the brunt of racism that is institutional and systemic. The collective negative karma of our nation’s past and centuries of subjugation has yet to be resolved,” she added.

Offering their sympathy and support to those families and communities struck by police violence, the HAF in a statement on Monday (1 June) said that it stands in solidarity with peaceful protesters across the US who were condemning the horrific killing of George Floyd and calling out systemic racism and excessive violence against African Americans by the police.