@MercedezUAZ2/Twitter
- High school students in Arizona were recorded reenacting the murder of George Floyd.
- The video went viral on Twitter and students were disciplined, the school said.
- The incident follows other videos of people reenacting Floyd's May 2020 murder.
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High school students in Arizona were filmed reenacting George Floyd's murder in a video that later went viral on Twitter, as users called it "disgusting" and "disturbing."
In the six-second video, which was posted on Twitter on April 28, one student is seen kneeling on the neck of another student while someone in the background can be heard saying, "they're demonstrating," and laughing.
It was not immediately clear exactly when the incident was filmed, but the video, which took place at Highland High School in Gilbert, Arizona, according to local reports, was publicized soon after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, was found guilty of murdering Floyd, a Black man, on April 20. The footage of the murder, which showed Chauvin kneeling on Floyd's neck on May 25, 2020, was widely shared online, sparked worldwide protests, and was instrumental in Chauvin's conviction.
The high school was previously criticized for "falling short of addressing racism," the Arizona Republic reported. The video also appears to follow a startling trend of people reenacting the viral video of Floyd's death.
Melinda Murphy, the school principal, told parents in an email that the video was being investigated and "all parties involved were disciplined according to Gilbert Schools policy," The Arizona Republic reported. It was not immediately clear how the students in the video were disciplined.
Highland High School did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.
-Mercedez (@MercedezUAZ2) April 29, 2021
Twitter user @MercedezUAZ2 posted the video with the caption, "This video was taken right in front of the only black girl in the class TODAY & happens to be my friend's niece. They're reenacting the murder of #GeorgeFloyd!" The video has over 135,000 views as of Monday.
A representative for the Gilbert School District told The Root that the situation had been addressed. "Gilbert Public Schools strives to create communities of inclusion, and any act of racism is in direct opposition to the values that we hold as a school district," the representative said.
Hanaan Abdull, a senior at Highland High and president of the Black Student Union at Highland High School, told the Arizona Republic that this was not an isolated incident. "I don't want to make it seem that the student recreating the murder of George Floyd is just a silly act of racism. These aren't mistakes; these are premeditated. This is a hate crime. This is a textbook hate crime," Abdull said.
Highland High has previously faced other race-related controversies. In June 2020, two students at the school posted a video of themselves repeatedly using the N-word to TikTok, according to the Arizona Republic. Other Twitter users shared photos of alleged students of the school using the "OK" hand gesture, which is used by white supremacists, and claimed the students in the photo were a part of the school's MAGA club.
The Arizona Republic reported at the time that Gilbert Superintendent Shane McCord "vowed to commit to diversity training for staff members after social media users described several racist instances involving students."
Other Americans have faced consequences for reenacting the Floyd video over the last year.
A similar investigation began at Westside High School in Omaha, Nebraska, after students circulated a photo of one student kneeling on another's neck. According to KETV NewsWatch 7, the school's principal said in an email to parents that the students had intended to recreate the murder of George Floyd. Two men in New Jersey were also filmed reenacting the murder in June 2020.