Venezuela Slams US Racism
Venezuela's communication minister has stated the world "must know" about the extent of racism in the United States, arguing the fatal shooting of Michael Brown was not an isolated incident.
Responding to the police shooting of unarmed black teenager Michael Brown, Rodriguez said the incident was symptomatic of a broader problem.
“In the United States more than one third of the African American population has experienced some form of discrimination,” Rodriguez stated.
“The death of Michael Brown was not an isolated incident,” she said.
Rodriguez pointed to other cases of black men being gunned down, such as the 2012 shooting of Trayvon Martin. Former neighborhood watch captain George Zimmerman was acquitted of charges stemming from the fatal shooting in July 2013.
Brown was shot by a white police officer on August 9, 2014.
There have been nightly demonstrations since the fatal police shooting, and a wave of public outrage against the killing.
Local residents are demanding justice for the killing and are protesting what they say is the racially biased and repressive police tactics by the local department.
Thousands are expected to gather across the country on Thursday as part of a nationwide series of protests, in at least 37 cities.
“The world must know the innumerable cases of abuse and killings of African American citizens in the United States,” Rodriguez stated.
The Venezuelan minister’s statement follows criticism of Ferguson authorities’ handling of protests in the wake of Brown’s death by the United Nations Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay.
Earlier this week, Pillay said the clashes between police and protestors in Ferguson, Missouri are reminiscent of the racial violence in her native South Africa during apartheid.
“These scenes are familiar to me and privately I was thinking that there are many parts of the United States where apartheid is flourishing,” Pillay stated.