Gadi Yevarkan: I cannot rest with the image of George Floyd's murder

"This is one of the most racist, cruel and deadly events ever recorded," said Deputy Public Security Minister Gadi Yevarkan.

By TAMAR URIEL-BEERI
Freshman Knesset member Gadi Yevarkan lights a candle in memory of the victims of the Holocaust at the Knesset's annual “Every Person Has a Name” ceremony, May 2 2019. (photo credit: KNESSET SPOKESMAN'S OFFICE)
Freshman Knesset member Gadi Yevarkan lights a candle in memory of the victims of the Holocaust at the Knesset's annual “Every Person Has a Name” ceremony, May 2 2019.
(photo credit: KNESSET SPOKESMAN'S OFFICE)
Deputy Public Security Minister Gadi Yevarkan said in a Facebook post on Sunday that "[the video of] the police officer strangling the young black man, George Floyd, during his arrest in Minneapolis keeps me awake at night."
"This is one of the most racist, cruel and deadly events ever recorded," Yevarkan, an Ethiopian immigrant, said. "The case proves again that racism is a lethal weapon. Watching the video proves that innocent Floyd was executed in broad daylight, only because he was black."
He additionally spoke of the protests that broke out, first in Minneapolis where the crime had occurred, and later throughout the whole country, saying that the "wave of riots and arson" expresses the "justified anger of the American public."
Yevarkan said that even in the United States, which he considers a progressive country due to former president Barack Obama's two terms as the country's first black president, racism rages on. He said that this gap "highlights how relevant today's struggle is and how much work is ahead of us in police training, creating corrective procedures, effective internal auditing and enforcement – even in Israel."
He emphasized that police officers must learn that they wield a great deal of power which they must use proportionally and according to the law, while also acting reasonably and morally.
Yevarkan said that the Israel Police is considered to make the country's citizens feel safe. "But this should be known," he clarified. "A 'white' Israeli citizen feels safe when he sees a police car, while a 'black' Israeli will feel insecure."
He concluded by sending his condolences to Floyd's family, and sent wishes of strength for the US "for prosecuting the racist police officer for murder and not for manslaughter."


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