Floyd's death 'inexcusable', says Johnson

Boris Johnson has termed the death of George Floyd appalling and said that he perfectly understands people’s right to protest over the incident. Last week, George Floyd was killed in the American city of Minneapolis after a police officer knelt on his neck.

London: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the death of 45-year-old African-American George Floyd was “inexcusable” and he understands why people are protesting.

In his first public comments on the turmoil roiling Washington, Johnson told lawmakers, "what happened in the United States was appalling, it was inexcusable, we all saw it on our screens and I perfectly understand people’s right to protest what took place."

He added, "protest should take place in a lawful and reasonable way."

Johnson -- who has sought to nurture close ties with President Donald Trump as he leads the UK out of the European Union -- deflected calls from the opposition to suspend exports of tear gas and rubber bullets to the United States.

He added that all British arms exports complied with the country’s human rights obligations, and the UK is possibly the most scrupulous country in that respect in the world.

Most British police officers do not carry guns, though armed units have been involved in several fatal shootings in recent years.

AP