The Dail held a minute's silence at 12pm today for those affected by racism. The Dail Business Committee made the decision following a letter from Culture Minister Josepha Madigan.
As well as the minute's silence, the Dail is also to hold a debate on racism next week.
The minute's silence was held before Dail statements on Covid-19.
On Monday, thousands of people gathered in Dublin to protest the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, and to support the Black Lives Matter Movement. Marching from O'Connell Street to the US Embassy in Ballsbridge, crowds chanted "Black Lives Matter" as they marched together.
George Floyd was killed by police officer Derek Chauvin. Chauvin had his knee on Floyd's neck for almost nine minutes. An autopsy revealed that Floyd died of asphyxiation.
Since the killing, thousands have signed a petition to upgrade Chauvin's charge from third-degree to second-degree murder.
On Monday night, An Taoiseach
Leo Varadkar spoke out following Floyd's death and the Black Lives Matter demonstration in Dublin. Taking to Twitter, the Taoiseach wrote, "Racism is a virus that we have been fighting for millennia. Despite the progress we have made, it is no less virulent today and no less dangerous. We need to show solidarity as people of all races & backgrounds around the world come together to stop its spread and defeat it."
https://twitter.com/LeoVaradkar/status/1267567877282058242?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1267567877282058242&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Flovin.ie%2Fnews%2Fvaradkar-speaks-following-george-floyd-demonstration-racism-is-a-virus
People in Ireland have been finding ways to help the Black Lives Matter movement through signing petitions and making charity donations. Find a list of petitions you can sign and causes you can donate to (such as a
GoFundMe for the family of George Floyd)
here.
To find a list of series you can watch on Netflix to learn more about racism and black oppression, head
here. And for a list of books that can help you better understand racism, you can head
here.
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