Five Finger Death Punch guitarist Zoltan Bathory has condemned the destruction and violence that has broken out across the country in response to the death of George Floyd, who died after former officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for nearly 10 minutes while Floyd was handcuffed.
Bathory, a longtime supporter of law enforcement , wrote on Instagram, “Being a long time supporter of 1st responders — I got a few messages asking 'if I still support them after all this…Yes… I support the constitution, truth, justice, human rights and our civil liberties and I support all those who defend it.”
He continued, “I support the kind of police, who — just like the rest of us — are disgusted by the actions of that POS murderer and his colleagues who were assisting or standing idle — they tarnished the badge, violated the oath — and without a question they murdered George. No sane person can watch that video without disgust and absolute f**king rage. Justice needs to be served 1000% to its full extent for all involved.”
Bathory added, “However, don't let politically motivated goons hijack your emotions, push you where you should not go, and divide this nation even further. Focus on the guilty and focus on the problem — and the solution of the problem. Beating up innocents, robbing their stores, setting communities on fire have nothing to do with justice, and certainly isn't done in the honor of George Floyd.”
Although protests were largely peaceful as demonstrators marched in the streets from Los Angeles to New York, there were widespread reports of looting and confrontations with the police in cities across the United States. Donald Trump has now threatened to send the U.S. military into streets after he remained largely out of sight for several days beforehand.
