At first glance, a private “Justice for George Floyd” Facebook group looks like many of the dozens of other groups created to collectively mourn the killing of an unarmed black man by a white police officer. “We demand justice for the murder of George Floyd,” the group says in its description with the hashtag #BLM, for Black Lives Matter. The group has more than 10,000 members and its profile picture is an illustration of George Floyd. Nine people, several of whom appear to be black, control the group.
But dig a little deeper and it quickly becomes apparent the group isn’t interested in racial justice. Instead, it cynically uses Floyd’s name to fan racial hatred.
The admins, none of whom appear to be who they say they are, post “announcements” with hateful memes and misinformation, while commenters share support for neo-Nazis. Many mock Floyd’s appearance and background.
