UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya spoke at a Black Lives Matter march in Auckland, New Zealand on Sunday, calling on “white people, people of different races” to speak up in the aftermath of the death of George Floyd.
Many athletes have spoken out since Floyd, a black American, died last Monday in Minneapolis after a police officer knelt on his neck for more than eight minutes. Among those to voice their support of Floyd have been Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan, professional golfer Tiger Woods, and former boxing world champion Floyd Mayweather, who offered to cover Floyd’s funeral costs.
“I have to speak up,” Nigerian-born New Zealander Adesanya said in Auckland. “I’ve been doing it for like the last two weeks. For the last two weeks on my [Instagram] stories, you’ll see I’ve been angry. I’m p***ed off.
“How many of you walk into a store and put your hands behind your back, just so they don’t think you’re stealing?
“How many of you walk down the street and have to kind of smile and try to make the person who you can see is already scared of you, make them feel comfortable?
“We’ve been marching so long, but it’s not about us now. Shout out to all the white people, people of different races, because we need you. We need you to speak up, we need you to say something.
“I’m sick and tired of seeing those faces get killed, because guess what? I see myself in them the whole time. It’s heartbreaking. I’m p***ed off.
“I didn’t have a choice. If I had a choice, though, I’d still be black.”
Meanwhile, fellow UFC champion Jon Jonesgrabbed spray paint cans from protestors in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Sunday as marches continued in numerous cities across the United States.
