Afghan artists paint George Floyd’s mural on blast wall in Kabul

A group of artists painted a mural of George Floyd in Afghanistan’s capital Kabul in solidarity with the anti-racism protests sparked by Floyd’s death in police custody. 

Floyd was killed on May 25 after a Minneapolis police officer knelt of his neck for almost 9 minutes while detaining him. The police officer was charged with second-degree murder and medical examiners called it a homicide.

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The Afghan artist Mehr Aqa Sultani, a member of local arts activist group ArtLords said,

“George Floyd is a global figure now and he was killed in the United States because of the blackness of his skin. We want to say ‘no’ to discrimination because discrimination has no benefit for us.”

A video of Floyd’s death sparked protests around the United States and the world against racism and police brutality in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

The group ArtLords have a high-profile presence in Kabul that paints messages of social justice and peace on the many blast walls that have been constructed to protect buildings from militant bombs.

Next to Floyd’s mural, the group has painted a man holding the Iranian flag in reference to alleged abuses by Iranian police and border guards against Afghan migrants and refugees in the past recent months.