Social media sites are cracking down on a sick online challenge in which people pose for photos with a knee on a friend’s neck in a mock re-enactment of the way George Floyd died at the hands of cops.
The trend first came to light when three teens were arrested in the UK and investigated for a possible hate crime for posing in the horrific way Floyd lost his life in Minneapolis on Memorial Day.
But several other pictures have also emerged — claiming to be part of a “George Floyd Challenge.”
One user even claimed to be a recent Air Force graduate, with some users complaining to the force about the pic, which had the caption, “Graduate Lives Matter.”
@usairforce is this the type of behaviora you condone? #GeorgeFloydChallenge pic.twitter.com/aDERLInh1a
— Adrienne Sims (@openhrtdsf) June 3, 2020
The challenge sparked action from some social media giants, with #GeorgeFloydChallenge not returning any results on Facebook and being met with a “Hashtag is Hidden” message on its sister site, Instagram.
“We are aware, and are removing these posts for violating our Community Standards,” a spokesperson for Facebook told The Post, noting it was deemed “encouraging participation in a high-risk viral challenge.”
It also sparked outrage from other users — with many posting the pics in hopes of naming and shaming culprits.
“How is possible that people is dying outside, whole afro community are finally saying out loud that #EnoughIsEnough and … you came with this disgusting challenge,” one user wrote, calling it “OUTRAGEOUS.”
“This is disgusting,” a user named Ila tweeted, asking, “Who the HELL does this?”
“If you think this is funny, you’re apart of the problem,” wrote @TheRealLadyRaw, calling it “F–KING DISGUSTING.”
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