‘Get your knees off our necks’: Powerful eulogy ends with 8-minute, 46-second silence at memorial service

George Floyd's family were joined by civil rights leaders, politicians, athletes and celebrities at a memorial service in Minneapolis last night.

Reverend Al Sharpton delivered an impassioned eulogy before an 8-minute and 46-second silence to mark the length of a police officer knelt on Floyd's neck during the arrest which led to his death.

During his speech, Sharpton said: "George Floyd’s story has been the story of black folks. Because ever since 401 years ago, the reason we could never be who we wanted and dreamed to be is you kept your knee on our neck.

“Man comes out of a single-parent home, educates himself and rises up and becomes the President of the United States and you ask him for his birth certificate, cause you can’t take your knee off our neck.

“It’s time for us to stand up in George’s name and say, ‘Get your knee off our necks!’”

He also announced Floyd's family will lead a march on Washington in August to mark the 57th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr’s famous speech and “restore and recommit that dream” of the Civil Rights era.

Read Justin Vallejo's full story on the service here:

Read More