03:43German Chancellor Angela Merkel was 'appalled' by the killing of George Floyd, government spokesperson Steffen Seibert told journalists in Berlin on Friday.
"The federal chancellor, as many people in the world, is appalled by this case [George Floyd's death]. The memorial service yesterday for George Floyd has once again made the whole tragedy clear in a very emotional way, both the tragedy of the killing of this man as well as the racism which black people experience in the US," said Seibert.
"She has great sympathy for the many people who peacefully take to the streets to protest against racism and against police violence. Therein and in the whole debate happening in the society, media and political level in the USA she sees a sign of the strong American democracy and she hopes the country will come together again based on this foundation," he added.
The conflict in Libya was also mentioned during the news conference. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Christofer Burger said Germany was monitoring the developments 'with a great concern', as fighting continued continue in eastern Tripoli.
"As you know, for a long time we have been demanding a long-lasting ceasefire and for this purpose a return to the 5+5 talks. They have started now by videoconference between the United States and the respective parties. We see it as a positive sign. However, the positions of the conflict parties still are very far apart. In that sense, the international backers from both sides still have the responsibility to facilitate the conflict parties so that progress can be reached," said Burger.
Touching upon the coronavirus numbers, Seibert said that despite the official statistics looking good, "the pandemic is there and should not be underestimated." He also added that there have been a number of violations of the measures in Berlin, but also in Goettingen to Friesland, Bremmerhafen or Frankfurt, which lead to an increase in coronavirus cases.
"Wherever there's a blatant disrespect for the rules and distance measures, the numbers of infections can spike really fast," said Seibert.
Germany: Merkel 'appalled' by George Floyd killing - govt spokesperson
German Chancellor Angela Merkel was 'appalled' by the killing of George Floyd, government spokesperson Steffen Seibert told journalists in Berlin on Friday.
"The federal chancellor, as many people in the world, is appalled by this case [George Floyd's death]. The memorial service yesterday for George Floyd has once again made the whole tragedy clear in a very emotional way, both the tragedy of the killing of this man as well as the racism which black people experience in the US," said Seibert.
"She has great sympathy for the many people who peacefully take to the streets to protest against racism and against police violence. Therein and in the whole debate happening in the society, media and political level in the USA she sees a sign of the strong American democracy and she hopes the country will come together again based on this foundation," he added.
The conflict in Libya was also mentioned during the news conference. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Christofer Burger said Germany was monitoring the developments 'with a great concern', as fighting continued continue in eastern Tripoli.
"As you know, for a long time we have been demanding a long-lasting ceasefire and for this purpose a return to the 5+5 talks. They have started now by videoconference between the United States and the respective parties. We see it as a positive sign. However, the positions of the conflict parties still are very far apart. In that sense, the international backers from both sides still have the responsibility to facilitate the conflict parties so that progress can be reached," said Burger.
Touching upon the coronavirus numbers, Seibert said that despite the official statistics looking good, "the pandemic is there and should not be underestimated." He also added that there have been a number of violations of the measures in Berlin, but also in Goettingen to Friesland, Bremmerhafen or Frankfurt, which lead to an increase in coronavirus cases.
"Wherever there's a blatant disrespect for the rules and distance measures, the numbers of infections can spike really fast," said Seibert.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel was 'appalled' by the killing of George Floyd, government spokesperson Steffen Seibert told journalists in Berlin on Friday.
"The federal chancellor, as many people in the world, is appalled by this case [George Floyd's death]. The memorial service yesterday for George Floyd has once again made the whole tragedy clear in a very emotional way, both the tragedy of the killing of this man as well as the racism which black people experience in the US," said Seibert.
"She has great sympathy for the many people who peacefully take to the streets to protest against racism and against police violence. Therein and in the whole debate happening in the society, media and political level in the USA she sees a sign of the strong American democracy and she hopes the country will come together again based on this foundation," he added.
The conflict in Libya was also mentioned during the news conference. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Christofer Burger said Germany was monitoring the developments 'with a great concern', as fighting continued continue in eastern Tripoli.
"As you know, for a long time we have been demanding a long-lasting ceasefire and for this purpose a return to the 5+5 talks. They have started now by videoconference between the United States and the respective parties. We see it as a positive sign. However, the positions of the conflict parties still are very far apart. In that sense, the international backers from both sides still have the responsibility to facilitate the conflict parties so that progress can be reached," said Burger.
Touching upon the coronavirus numbers, Seibert said that despite the official statistics looking good, "the pandemic is there and should not be underestimated." He also added that there have been a number of violations of the measures in Berlin, but also in Goettingen to Friesland, Bremmerhafen or Frankfurt, which lead to an increase in coronavirus cases.
"Wherever there's a blatant disrespect for the rules and distance measures, the numbers of infections can spike really fast," said Seibert.