Labour has accused Dominic Raab of being “weak and wrong” for refusing to condemn Donald Trump’s statements in the wake of the death of a black man in police custody.
Fierce protests continued for a fifth night in the United States over the death of George Floyd, who died on Monday after a white police officer knelt on his neck whilst restraining him.
The foreign secretary said Mr Floyd’s death was “very distressing” but refused to comment on a series of explosive statements from the US president, including a tweet where he said “looting leads to shooting”.
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But Lisa Nandy, the shadow foreign secretary, condemned his silence over Mr Trump’s response.
She said: “This is weak and wrong. The world must not look away. #blacklivesmatter”.
She later told The Independent: “The UK has a moral obligation to call out discrimination and injustice wherever we see – no matter where in the world it occurs.
“The foreign secretary’s refusal to unequivocally condemn the killing of George Floyd was wrong.
“In trying to avoid creating a ‘media distraction’, he risks undermining the UK’s commitment to upholding the fundamental principles of fairness and equality, both here and around the world.”
Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesperson Alaistair Carmichael also criticised Mr Raab, saying: “The foreign secretary’s cowardly failure to condemn the president’s inflammatory language demonstrates a government incapable of standing up to Donald Trump.
“The government’s silence is shameful and indefensible.”
Mr Trump threatened protesters outside the White House with the “most vicious dogs and most ominous weapons I have ever seen” if they breached the fence.
On Friday, Mr Trump tweeted: “Looting leads to shooting, and that’s why a man was shot and killed in Minneapolis on Wednesday night – or look at what just happened in Louisville with 7 people shot. I don’t want this to happen, and that’s what the expression put out last night means.”
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Police spray mace at protestors to break up a gathering near the Minneapolis Police third precinct after a white police officer was caught on a bystander’s video pressing his knee into the neck of African-American man George Floyd, who later died at a hospital, in Minneapolis
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A protester holds a sign with an image of George Floyd
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Protesters demonstrate against the death of George Floyd
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A protester throws a piece of wood on a fire in the street just north of the 3rd Police Precinct
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People in other US cities also protested the murder, like Los Angeles
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A police officer lobs a canister to break up crowds
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A protester is treated after inhaling tear gas
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Two police officers stand on the roof of the Third Police Precinct during a face off with a group of protesters
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Protesters outside a Minneapolis police precinct two days after George Floyd died
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Protesters run from tear gas
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Demonstrators gather to protest in Los Angeles
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Police remove barricades set by protesters
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A fire burns inside of an Auto Zone store near the Third Police Precinct
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Flowers, signs and balloons are left near a makeshift memorial to George Floyd near the spot where he died
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A policeman faces a protester holding a placard in downtown Los Angeles
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A couple poses with a sign in Los Angeles
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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – MAY 27: A man is tended to after sustaining an injury from a projectile shot by police outside the 3rd Police Precinct building on May 27, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Four Minneapolis police officers have been fired after a video taken by a bystander was posted on social media showing Floyd’s neck being pinned to the ground by an officer as he repeatedly said, “I cant breathe”. Floyd was later pronounced dead while in police custody after being transported to Hennepin County Medical Center. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
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A protester reacts after inhaling tear gas
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Protesters use shopping carts as a barricade
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Protesters clash with the police as they demonstrate against the death of George Floyd
AFP via Getty Images
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Police spray mace at protestors to break up a gathering near the Minneapolis Police third precinct after a white police officer was caught on a bystander’s video pressing his knee into the neck of African-American man George Floyd, who later died at a hospital, in Minneapolis
Reuters
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A protester holds a sign with an image of George Floyd
AP
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Protesters demonstrate against the death of George Floyd
AFP via Getty
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A protester throws a piece of wood on a fire in the street just north of the 3rd Police Precinct
Getty
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People in other US cities also protested the murder, like Los Angeles
AFP via Getty
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Reuters
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AFP via Getty
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AFP via Getty
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AFP via Getty
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A police officer lobs a canister to break up crowds
Reuters
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A protester is treated after inhaling tear gas
Getty
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Two police officers stand on the roof of the Third Police Precinct during a face off with a group of protesters
Getty
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Protesters outside a Minneapolis police precinct two days after George Floyd died
EPA
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Protesters run from tear gas
Reuters
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AP
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Demonstrators gather to protest in Los Angeles
AP
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Police remove barricades set by protesters
AFP via Getty
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Getty
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A fire burns inside of an Auto Zone store near the Third Police Precinct
Getty
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Flowers, signs and balloons are left near a makeshift memorial to George Floyd near the spot where he died
AFP via Getty
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A policeman faces a protester holding a placard in downtown Los Angeles
AFP via Getty
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A couple poses with a sign in Los Angeles
AFP via Getty
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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – MAY 27: A man is tended to after sustaining an injury from a projectile shot by police outside the 3rd Police Precinct building on May 27, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Four Minneapolis police officers have been fired after a video taken by a bystander was posted on social media showing Floyd’s neck being pinned to the ground by an officer as he repeatedly said, “I cant breathe”. Floyd was later pronounced dead while in police custody after being transported to Hennepin County Medical Center. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
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A protester reacts after inhaling tear gas
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Protesters use shopping carts as a barricade
Getty Images
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Protesters clash with the police as they demonstrate against the death of George Floyd
AFP via Getty Images
In further social media posts on Saturday, Mr Trump praised the National Guard deployment in Minneapolis, declaring “No games!”, and said police in New York City “must be allowed to do their job!”.
Asked about his response, Mr Raab told Sky News’ Sophy Ridge on Sunday: “I’m not going to start commenting on the commentary or indeed the press statements that other world leaders make, or indeed the US president.
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“What I would say is that obviously, as you said, the footage of what happened to George Floyd was very distressing, as has been the scenes across America of the rioting and some of the violence.
“And what we do know is that the lead suspect has now been charged with murder, there is a federal review and we want to see de-escalation of all of those tensions and American come together.”
He said it would be a “media distraction” to offer his thoughts on Mr Trump.
