Kelly Clarkson Asks Where The ‘Free Speechers’ Are As She Shares Video From George Floyd Protest
Kelly Clarkson had a question for her Twitter followers after seeing a video of a demonstration that took place in Kansas City, Missouri over the weekend. On Tuesday, The Voice judge shared the viral clip with her 12.3 million followers. It showed Kansas City police officers pepper-spraying demonstrators who were protesting the death of George Floyd.
Kelly retweeted footage from another Twitter user who described the actions of the Kansas City police in the video as “UNFORGIVABLE and UNFORGETTABLE.” The singer seemed to express support for the right of the protesters to demonstrate.
“Just curious…. where are all the ‘free speechers’ on this?” Kelly tweeted.
“You know, the ones that constantly defend the first amendment but only use this defense when it serves their purpose? I’ll wait….”
The video was filmed from the side of a street where a number of protesters had gathered. Rows of more than two dozen police officers were standing in the middle of the empty road. They were wearing protective face shields and armed with pepper spray.
One of the demonstrators was yelling at the officers, accusing police of “prematurely shooting people” and “using excessive force.” He took a few steps forward, and the officers began approaching. They grabbed the man by the shirt and doused him and at least one other demonstrator with pepper spray. The man was pulled out into the street where he lay still on his stomach as officers surrounded him. A few officers shot more pepper spray at the crowd from a distance as the protesters began shouting at the police.
“He has the first amendment right to speak his mind,” one demonstrator could be heard yelling.
According to the Kansas City Star, the man in the video was taken into custody. A Kansas City police spokesperson later said that he was arrested for “municipal/city protest-related charges.”
The responses to Kelly’s tweet were mixed. Some of the former American Idol star’s followers supported her view and defended the demonstrators, while others sided with the police.
“The black guy provoked them I don’t blame the police. How would you like to protect a community only to be ridiculed?” wrote one commenter.
“The police don’t get to assault and arrest you because they don’t like what you say,” another Twitter user replied.
Protests over the death of George Floyd have taken place all across the United States over the past few days, and some celebrities have even joined the demonstrations. As for Kelly, she was one of the large number of stars who took part in the “Blackout Tuesday” movement on social media. The singer used the official account for The Kelly Clarkson Instagram page to pledge that she’ll use her platform to help the black community.
