Family of George Floyd considers legal action over Kanye West comments - The Guardian

The household of George Floyd has said it is considering taking ineligible enactment against Kanye West aft the rapper alleged that the 46-year-old antheral died from cause abuse.

Minneapolis constabulary serviceman Derek Chauvin was convicted of Floyd’s murder successful May 2020. He knelt connected Floyd’s cervix for astir 9 minutes portion the unarmed Black antheral was handcuffed and lying look down connected the street, crying “I can’t breathe”.

West (who has legally changed his sanction to Ye) made the claims successful an quality connected the Drink Champs podcast connected Saturday portion discussing a caller documentary by blimpish commentator Candace Owens – often by West’s broadside during his caller tally of antisemitic and racist comments – titled The Greatest Lie Ever Sold: George Floyd and the Rise of BLM [Black Lives Matter].

“They deed him with the fentanyl, if you look the guy’s genu wasn’t adjacent connected his cervix similar that,” West said connected the podcast.

Civil rights lawyer Lee Merritt responded to West’s claims connected behalf of Floyd’s family.

“While 1 cannot defame the dead, the household of #GeorgeFloyd is considering suit for Kanye’s mendacious statements astir the mode of his death,” he tweeted connected 16 October.

“Claiming Floyd died from fentanyl not the brutality established criminally and civilly undermines and diminishes the Floyd family’s fight.”

Floyd died arsenic a effect of “cardiopulmonary apprehension complicating instrumentality enforcement subdual, restraint and cervix compression”, according to the last autopsy findings of Dr Andrew Baker, main aesculapian examiner for Hennepin county. Although fentanyl was recovered successful Floyd’s system, it was not capable to beryllium considered fatal.

Cardiologist Dr Jonathan Rich told the tribunal astatine Chauvin’s trial: “I tin authorities with a precocious grade of aesculapian certainty that George Floyd did not dice from a superior cardiac event, and helium did not dice from a cause overdose.”

West’s comments person been wide condemned by chap musicians and spiritual leaders.

Elsewhere successful the interview, West continued to marque antisemitic statements and said that 4 concerts helium had scheduled astatine the Los Angeles SoFi stadium had been cancelled by the venue owners aft helium tweeted that helium was “going decease con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE” connected 9 October. Twitter removed the tweet for violating the platform’s rules.

In response, the Los Angeles Holocaust depository invited West to sojourn “to recognize conscionable however words tin incite horrific unit and genocide”. On the podcast, West responded: “I privation you to sojourn Planned Parenthood, that’s our holocaust museum.”

After making his remarks astir Floyd, West asked the podcast hosts whether they would beryllium capable to tally the interview, successful notation to his caller quality connected HBO’s The Shop, which was not broadcast owing to his usage of what big Maverick Carter called “hate code and highly unsafe stereotypes”. Segments of an interrogation with Fox News big Tucker Carlson were besides canned implicit West spouting racist conspiracy theories.

West wore a chapeau emblazoned with “2024”, presumably successful notation to his intentions to signifier a 2nd statesmanlike tally aft his failed bid successful 2020, successful which helium appeared connected lone 12 authorities ballots and won less than 60,000 votes. The run reportedly violated fundraising rules.

West and Owens person been associated since astir 2018 erstwhile West tweeted “I emotion the mode Candace Owens thinks”. A Black writer and commentator, she became known for her disapproval of Black Lives Matter and her enactment of Trump. Recently, the brace debuted a “White Lives Matter” shirt astatine Paris Fashion Week.