Baku, Azerbaijan, May 1
By Elmira Tariverdiyeva - Trend:
Karen Attiah, one of the editors of the authoritative US newspaper Washington Post, wrote an article about how the Western media would cover the events in Baltimore if they happened elsewhere.
"International leaders expressed concern over the rising tide of racism and state violence in America, especially concerning the treatment of ethnic minorities in the country and the corruption in state security forces around the country when handling cases of police brutality," the author said.
On April 25, demonstrators clashed with police in the US city of Baltimore (Maryland), and on April 27, the day of the funeral of 25-year-old African-American Freddie Gray, they resulted in large-scale riots and unrests. The riots in Baltimore were triggered by police action during the arrest of Freddie Gray.
"Black Americans, a minority ethnic group, are killed by state security forces at a rate higher than the white majority population," the article said. "Young, black American males are 21 times more likely to be shot by police than white American males."
The United Kingdom expressed concern over the troubling turn of events in America in the last several months, the author said.
The country's foreign ministry released a statement: "We call on the American regime to rein in the state security agents who have been brutalizing members of America's ethnic minority groups. The equal application of the rule of law, as well as the respect for human rights of all citizens, black or white, is essential for a healthy democracy." Britain has always maintained a keen interest in America, a former colony," said the article.
"Palestine has offered continued assistance to American pro-democracy activists, sending anti-tear-gas kits to those protesting police brutality in various American cities." "Egyptian pro-democracy groups have also said they will be sharing their past experience with US-made counter-protest weapons," Attiah said.
A statement from the United Nations said, "We condemn the militarization and police brutality that we have seen in recent months in America, and we strongly urge American state security forces to launch a full investigation into the death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore. There is no excuse for excessive police violence." The UN called on the United States to make a concerted effort to make databases of police violence public to improve transparency and cut down on corruption in the justice system, said the article.
International analysts predict the seeds of a so-called "American Spring," fomented by technology, said the author.
"International human rights groups have appealed to the global community to facilitate asylum for America's ethnic black minorities," said the author. "When asked whether the European Union was willing to take on more black refugees risking their lives in fleeing American state violence, an EU human rights spokesman said: "More black refugees? We are dealing with our own Mediterranean crisis, so now is not really a good time for that for us. Furthermore, we believe in American solutions to American problems." The African Union has not responded to requests for comment."
"American government officials took to state media, characterizing the protesters as "thugs," a racially coded word increasingly used to describe black males in America," said the article.
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Follow the author on Twitter: @EmmaTariver