Protestors Invoke Bitcoin in the Wake of George Floyd’s Death
Cryptocurrencies appear on the scene of massive protests in the U.S. in response to police killing George Floyd, with many industry leaders weighing in.
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The United States is witnessing its biggest protests in years following the death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis. Some compare it to those after the murder of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968. The community crypto has chimed in on the situation.
Crypto sphere personalities like Binance’s CEO Changpang Zhao reacted via Twitter after six days of massive protests:
“#Bitcoin is the peaceful protest”
Ripple’s CEO Brad Garlinghouse also reacted via Twitter to the protests, stating that he stands in solidarity “with all who are fighting to save Black lives.”
Cryptos and its role in the protests
Several posters referring to Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have been making the rounds on social media.
A protester in Raleigh, North Carolina, carried a poster referring to the book “Bitcoin and Black America,” authored by Isaiah Jackson, which “explores the synergy between black economics, Bitcoin and blockchain technology.”
Bitcoin Project also published the following comment:
Counterfeit $trillion
the state doesn’t bat an eye.⁰⁰Counterfeit $20
⁰the state loses its mind.— Bitcoin (@Bitcoin) May 29, 2020
The debate continues, as do the protests that Governors responded to by announcing curfews in several states over the weekend. 75 cities across the country joined protests against police violence.
One protestor in Dallas carried a sign saying “Bitcoin Will Save Us,” to the ire of a number of commentators both within and outside of the crypto industry:
Christ pic.twitter.com/BmRmlZnMWa
— Jessica Huseman (@JessicaHuseman) June 1, 2020
Cryptocurrencies role in recent protests across the globe
Cryptos continue to be a topic discussed amid the protests that have been taking place in recent years around the world.
Cointelegraph reported in 2019 that the pro-democracy and anti-government protest movement in Hong Kong spurred wider adoption of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin.
The political upheaval prompted several local businesses and individuals to switch to using decentralized digital currencies.
In Latin America, cryptocurrencies played a role in the protests that occurred in the last quarter of 2019 in Chile, Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru.
