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[Page S2627]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
REMEMBERING GEORGE FLOYD
Mr. CORNYN. Madam President, ours is a nation with a split screen of
a battle on two fronts. One is the pandemic that we have been fighting
now for many months, and the other is to continue the fight to defeat
racial injustice that has sadly divided our Nation since its very
inception.
One week ago today, George Floyd, a native Houstonian, tragically
died in the custody of a law enforcement officer. As the gut-wrenching
video of his death has spread, so has the passion and the anger among
all of us who wonder, how can something like that happen?
Our Constitution guarantees every American the right to protest
injustice, and I believe we all have a responsibility to stand up for
what is right and condemn what is plainly wrong.
People of all colors, backgrounds, and ages are demanding that
justice be served in the case of George Floyd. The first step in that
process came on Friday when the officer who had him in custody was
himself arrested and charged with third-degree murder.
Devastating events like the death of George Floyd remind us that we
have a long way to go in the fight for equal justice under the law, but
we cannot yield to the temptation to fill the void created by this
tragedy with violence.
Too many protests across our country have turned into riots with
looting and vandalism and destruction, hurting innocent people and
tearing our cities apart. In response to these escalating protests last
night, there were more curfews in place than at any other time since
the assassination of Martin Luther King.
One man who experienced that period of American history firsthand is
our colleague on the other side of the Capitol, Congressman John Lewis.
He fought and marched alongside Dr. King, fighting for equal rights,
and continues fighting today for equal justice.
Over the weekend, he denounced the rioting and looting that occurred
and said:
``Be constructive, not destructive. History has proven time
and time again that non-violent, peaceful protest is the way
to achieve the justice and equality that we all deserve.''
I understand and share the passion and the anger that have spread
across the country and support those who are peacefully protesting and
demanding that justice be served. There should never be a time in which
the color of someone's skin determines whether they live or die, and we
have to do everything in our power to prevent these tragedies from
occurring in the first place. But that change can't happen when
businesses are being looted, when vehicles are being set on fire, or
when innocent people are being harmed. It only can happen when we come
together and learn to empathize with one another and understand the
struggles our neighbors are facing.
I would note that there is good evidence that many of these acts of
violence are being instigated not by victims of injustice but by
outsiders determined to stoke the rage that many feel and thus incite
them to that violence.
I was glad to hear the Attorney General of the United States say on
Sunday that the Department of Justice will treat violence by
individuals associated with Antifa and other groups as domestic
terrorism and calling some of these protests following George Floyd's
death to have been hijacked for another destructive, antisocial agenda.
Investigators are also tracking social media posts and looking into
whether foreign agents are behind an active propaganda campaign using
social media, trying to divide us further, to stoke the anger and rage
that many of us feel. Officials have seen a huge surge in social media
accounts with fewer than 200 followers created in the last month--a
textbook sign of a disinformation campaign by a foreign power, much as
we saw in 2016 during the Russian active measures campaign leading up
to the election.
Righteous rage is one thing; being manipulated by instigators of
violence and foreign powers is quite another.
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