Social media turn dark in support of #BlackLivesMatter

Social media platforms such as Twitter and Instagram were flooded with millions of dark-themed posts on Tuesday 2 June, in support of the #BlackLivesMatter movement.

The #BlackoutTuesday campaign received over 28 million posts by Wednesday morning, 3 June.

The resurgence in the #BlackLivesMatter movement follows the death of an African-American citizen, George Floyd (46), at the hands of police in Minneapolis in the United States (US), on 25 May 2020.

A social media campaign was launched on Tuesday, 2 June, in which users posted a solid black photo under the hashtag #BlackoutTuesday. Many North-West University (NWU) students also joined the cause to voice support for the #BlackLivesMatter movement.

Nico Prinsloo (22) is a fourth-year Actuarial Science student at the NWU’s Potchefstroom campus and was crowned Mr Campus in 2019. He used his Instagram account to express his support for the movement.

Nico Prinsloo (22), is the current Mr Campus of the NWU, and he showed his support for the #BlackoutTuesday movement. Photo: Instagram

Prinsloo posted a solid black photo on Instagram under the hashtag #BlackoutTuesday, in which he states that “what happened to George Floyd is wrong and should never be tolerated. I think the world would agree on this,” he said.

Khwezi Bhiyo (21), who is currently doing her honours degree in corporate communication at the NWU, also posted on Instagram using the #BlackoutTuesday hashtag. Bhiyo told threestreamsmedia that the issue of police brutality against black people is not something that is unknown to South African society.

“Even during the lockdown in South Africa, we saw how our own people were mishandled by the police. Police brutality is something that is wrong, on so many levels, and for me, #BlackLivesMatter is a movement that not only applies to black people in America but all over the world,” she said.

Khwezi Bhiyo (21) said that the #BlackLivesMatter movement applies to all black people around the world. Photo: Instagram

The #BlackoutTuesday campaign was also supported by several South African public figures, including Karen Zoid, Francois van Coke, Siya Kolisi, former Miss South Africa and Miss Universe 2017 Demi-Leigh Tebow and many others.

According to eNCA, four police officers were fired on 26 May after a video of one of the officers kneeling on Floyd’s neck for several minutes went viral. In the video, Floyd is laying with his face down, and can be heard gasping for air and groaning, “I can’t breathe!”

On Monday 1 June an autopsy report was released, which ruled that Floyd died in a homicide involving neck compression.

Since the death of Floyd, many parts of the US have been rocked by both peaceful and violent protests. Protest actions began on 27 May in Minneapolis, and quickly spread to other parts of the US, including New York, Los Angeles and Washington DC.

Several states in the US were rocked with protest actions following the death of George Floyd. Photo: Julian Wian (supplied)

The Telegraph reports that the latest deaths of black people in the US have led to a resurgence in the #BlackLivesMatter movement. On Tuesday citizens across the world united in one voice and showed their support for the movement by posting a black photo on their social media using the hashtag #BlackoutTuesday.

Internationally the social media campaign was supported by many public figures, including artists such as Rihanna, Jamie Foxx and Drake.  In her Instagram post, American pop star, Britney Spears, said that what the world needs now is love. “Right now I think we all should do what we can to listen… learn… do better… and use our voices for good,” her post read.