Madrid, June 3 (EFE) .- George Clooney has set fire to social networks after publishing an article in the Daily Beast newspaper in which he assures that racism is "the pandemic of the United States" and encourages his compatriots to exercise their right to vote to change this situation.
A problem that "infects all of us" and for which "after 400 years of struggle we still have to find a vaccine," says the actor in a text that fully enters the debate on racism in the United States, setting of numerous protests and demonstrations in most of their states after the murder of the African American George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis (USA) on May 25.
Clooney's words, which not only reflects on the current racial situation but also recalls similar events that have occurred in the history of the United States, have gone viral on Twitter, where it has become one of the trends of the day.
"Is it 1992 and we just heard a jury tell us that the white cops we saw hitting Rodney King hundreds of times were not guilty of his obvious crimes?" Asks the actor.
"Or is it 2014 when Eric Garner was executed for selling cigarettes by a white cop who strangled him while we were watching him?" Clooney insists before writing: "The words 'I can't breathe' will forever be etched in our minds."
The winner of two Oscars and the star of films like "Ocean's Eleven" (2001) or "Gravity" (2013) also points out that he does not know when these protests will end, although he hopes that no one else "will be killed".
"The anger and frustration we see once again on our streets is just a reminder of how little we have grown as a country since our original sin of slavery," he says.
And he adds: "The fact that we are no longer buying and selling other human beings is not a badge of honor. We need a systematic change in our law enforcement and criminal justice system. We need policies and policies that reflect equity basic for all its citizens alike. "
According to Clooney, racism remains a problem in the United States, exacerbated this time by the reaction of President Donald Trump, who said last week that "when the looting begins, the shooting begins," and yesterday it threatened to deploy the army to "quell" the protests.
Therefore, the actor encourages Americans to change this situation on November 3 when the presidential elections are held.
"We do not need leaders who fuel hatred and violence as if the idea of shooting looters could be anything less than a controversial message," he claimed. "There is only one way in this country to achieve lasting change: vote," he concludes.