Teens Participate in "George Floyd Challenge": Police Investigates Posts, Treats Them As Hate Crime

teens George Floyd Challenge Challenge posts

By Staff Reporter , Parent Herald Jun 04, 07:22 pm

Netizens are disgusted by teens who participate in the "George Floyd Challenge."

The challenge first started in Snapchat. White teens were re-enacting George Floyd's death.

Police in the United Kingdom investigated posts by three teenagers involved in the challenge.

Meanwhile, two supposed students of Missouri State University withdrew their enrolments. That is after they posted offensive racial slur that sparked outrage in social media.

Chardon Police also investigated another photo of a teen participating in the outrageous challenge.

Three teenagers from the U.K., arrested for hate crime

According to Mail Online, police started their investigation when a photo imitating the death of George Floyd circulated online.

The teens involved were 19 and 18 years old. All were arrested for suspicion of sending communications that cause anxiety and stress. They were released on bail later.

The U.K. police consider the George Floyd challenge as a hate crime. Hence, authorities investigated the incident thoroughly.

According to reports, the three white teens have since shut their social media accounts. However, they have been receiving death threats.

Supposed-MSU students withdrew enrolments.

A video that also sparked outrage from viewers featured two white teens. They were mocking Floyd's killing. The video was posted on Snapchat.

One of the teens in the video was supposed to study at Missouri State University. She decided to rescind her enrolment.

Another student used an offensive racial slur; she also decided to withdraw her enrolment. She posted a photo with the caption, "If we kept them as slaves this would (of) never happen(ed)"

In a statement, Cliff Smart, MSU President, said the two students recognized the extent of what they posted. He said, "Many others have expressed anger and disbelief at the nature and tone of the hurtful social media posts."

Chardon Police Also Investigated A Photo Where A Teen Joined the George Floyd Challenge

A photo was sent to Mail Online. It shows a teen kneeling on the neck of a brown cow.

The photo was tagged in Chardon, Ohio.

However, after careful investigation, the police could not find any connection to Chardon schools or students. The Police Chief of Chardon, Scott Niehus, says that the post was probably tagged incorrectly.

Social networking sites cracked down on the challenge.

When searched on Facebook, #GeorgeFloydChallenge shows, "Hashtag is Hidden." The same applies to the sister site, Instagram.

According to a Facebook statement, the posts were removed because it violated Community Standards set by the site.

Reminders of experts to parents on talking about Racism

Experts say that parents are vital in addressing the need to teach diversity to children. One of the best ways that experts have is to talk about topics that parents consider sensitive. Such sensitive topics include race and privilege. Shrugging off or dismissing the curiosity or comments of children about skin color, appearance, or diversity will only make things worse.