5 Years On, Americans Mark George Floyd's Uncertain Legacy

Less support for Black Lives Matter movement amid hostile climate

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MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota — Americans on May 25 marked five years since Mr George Floyd was killed by a US police officer, as US President Donald Trump backtracks on reforms designed to tackle racism.

Mr Floyd's deadly arrest on May 25, 2020, helped launch the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement into a powerful force that sought to resolve America's deeply rooted racial issues, from police violence to systemic inequality.

But since Mr Trump's return to power in January — he was serving his first term when Mr Floyd died — his administration has axed civil rights investigations and cracked down on diversity-hiring initiatives.

BLM, meanwhile, finds itself lacking the support it enjoyed when protesters sprawled across US cities and abroad during the Covid-19 pandemic — with many now agreeing that the movement achieved little of substance.

Some Democratic politicians, as well as UN rights chief Volker Turk, commemorated the anniversary on May 25.