More than 10,000 km between the two countries, but news travels very quickly. At a time when the United States are going through one of the most serious social crises of their history, in the face of rising anger against racism and police violence, the u.s. embassy in Seoul has taken the decision to remove a banner of support for the movement Black Lives Matter. According to CNN, the secretary of State Mike Pompeo that would have played its relationships.
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The u.s. embassy says his side does not want to leave you with the impression that this organization is anti-racist to the origin of the wave of protest in the United States would benefit from the financial support of the federal State. The diplomatic representation of South Korea had wanted to show his adherence to the protesters calling for an end to violence and discrimination against black Americans, after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
The ambassador denied
This banner “shows our support for the fight against racial injustice and police brutality in a time where we strive to be a company which integrates better and is more fair,” said the embassy on Saturday on Facebook. On the same day, ambassador Harry Harris, a former high-ranking member of the US Navy, said to have the belief that ” diversity is (their) strength “, before quoting a little later, the former president John F. Kennedy.
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Harry Harris, an American of japanese descent, had previously told the embassy staff to be ” deeply troubled by the events surrounding the brutal murder of George Floyd and its consequences.” “As an American of asian descent, who grew up in the segregated South of the 1960s, I never imagined that this was a unique occurrence, especially in the Twenty-first century “, he added in a message.
another banner LGBT withdrawn
The u.s. embassy in Seoul has withdrawn at the same time the façade is a symbol of the fight against discrimination, a flag, a rainbow, a symbol of the LGBT movement. On Tuesday, a huge banner marking the 70th anniversary of the Korean war has been deployed and occupied the space left vacant. The spokesman of the embassy said that these withdrawals ” does not diminish the principles and ideals expressed by displaying the banner, and the embassy will look for other ways to transmit the core values of the u.s. in these difficult times on (its) soil.”
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He also said that this was intended to ” avoid the perception, incorrectly, that the public funds from u.s. taxpayers are being spent for the benefit of such organizations.” Mike Pompeo, who claims to be a christian believer and opposed to gay marriage, had set in 2019, limits on the drapeau arc-en-ciel sported by some us embassies. He was in no condition to be on the mast from official buildings, reserved for the national flag.