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| A Black Lives Matter banner on the U.S. embassy in Seoul / Yonhap |
By Jung Min-ho
The U.S. Embassy in Seoul has unfurled a "Black Lives Matter" banner in support of the fight against racial discrimination and police brutality in the United States.
"The U.S. Embassy stands in solidarity with fellow Americans grieving and peacefully protesting to demand positive change," the embassy said on Facebook Saturday.
"Our #BlackLivesMatter banner shows our support for the fight against racial injustice and police brutality as we strive to be a more inclusive & just society."
The move comes a week after U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris sniped at looters taking advantage of largely peaceful protests as a cover for their crimes.
The protests erupted across the country after the alleged murder of George Floyd, 46, who died on the Memorial Day (May 25) after a white police officer in Minneapolis pinned him face down to the ground.
Harris quoted former President John F. Kennedy: "If we cannot now end our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity. The U.S.A. is a free and diverse nation ... from that diversity we gain our strength.
"When Dr. Benjamin Mays delivered Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's eulogy in 1968, he said Dr. King's 'unfinished work on Earth must truly be our own.' Recent weeks remind us that MLK's work remains unfinished. Friends, I believe that work falls on each of us today."
This is not the first time the ambassador has publicly expressed support for a social cause.
Last year, the embassy displayed a large rainbow flag on the mission building in support of "LGBTQ Pride Month," despite a U.S. State Department order not to hoist the symbolic flag.
Earlier this month, the embassy did so again to support "fundamental freedoms and human rights for all."
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