During the plenary session in the European Parliament in Brussels (17-19 June 2020), David SASSOLI, EP President, pays tribute to George Floyd, an African American man who died while being arrested by police officers on the street in the US city of Minneapolis on 25 May. David SASSOLI asks the hemicycle to respect a minute of silence in tribute to George Floyd. This transcription speech is the result of an automatic process. Check against delivery.

Brussels

plenary session

minute of silence

fight against racism and xenophobia (T)

SASSOLI, David Maria (S&D, IT, S&D, IT)

Resumption of session: Announcement by David SASSOLI, EP President, and minute of silence in tribute to the death of George Floyd

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/5145865/I192259Chapters%5BSD-EN%5D.srt

SOUNDBITE (Original), David SASSOLI, EP President, Ladies and gentlemen, can we take our seats, please? On behalf of the Parliament and personally too, I would like to express my sincere regrets to the family of George Floyd.

SOUNDBITE (Original), David SASSOLI, EP President, ] His death on the 25th of May has, as you know, led in the United States and in Europe, too, to a whole series of protests that show the value of democratic rights and human rights is a fundamental daily task that is of vital importance

SOUNDBITE (Original), David SASSOLI, EP President, If you look at Martin Luther King's dream, we would like to see that become reality so that people will never be judged by the colour of their skin, but instead by their character.

SOUNDBITE (Original), David SASSOLI, EP President, This Parliament has always firmly condemned any form of violence and discrimination and commits itself to respecting the rule of law.

SOUNDBITE (Original), David SASSOLI, EP President, I thank you for that

SOUNDBITE (Original), David SASSOLI, EP President, We will start our plenary session today and then we will be holding a debate on this subject. And I would make the following important appeal in that I would ask you to observe a minute of silence in memory of George Floyd and all the victims of violence, racism and discrimination.