The FBI has reportedly terminated the employment of several agents who were photographed kneeling at a racial justice protest following the death of George Floyd, according to US media sources.
The termination letter allegedly cited a “lack of judgement” in their actions, as reported by CBS News, citing a source.
Between 15 to 20 agents have reportedly been let go. The agents in question allegedly took a knee alongside other protesters during a demonstration in 2020.
Floyd, a black man, was killed by a police officer who knelt on his neck in May of that year, sparking widespread global outrage.
The FBI Agents Association censured the dismissals, stating that the agents’ rights had been transgressed. The FBI declined to comment when contacted by the BBC.
The Trump administration’s reported firings are part of its efforts to remove what it considers left-wing and so-called “woke” policies and officials from the federal government.
Several right-wing commentators had criticized agents and police officers who were pictured kneeling on social media at the time.
However, proponents of the agents argue that the kneeling was a de-escalation tactic, rather than an endorsement of the protesters’ views.
The act became a symbol of dissent against racism, as viral footage showed Floyd’s killer, white police officer Derek Chauvin, kneeling on his neck while he was pinned to the floor for more than nine minutes.
An official autopsy found Floyd died from a heart attack caused by neck compression.
Chauvin is currently serving a 22-and-a-half-year sentence for Floyd’s murder. Taking the knee had also been employed in the US as a protest against racial injustice and police brutality before Floyd’s murder – notably by former NFL player Colin Kaepernick.
Friday’s mass sacking is the latest in a series of firings at the FBI.
The agency’s former acting director Brian Driscoll, former assistant director in charge of the Washington field office Steven Jensen, and Spencer Evans, former special agent in charge of the Las Vegas field office, have all been terminated recently.
Earlier this month, the three former agents sued FBI Director Kash Patel and US Attorney General Pam Bondi, alleging the officials fired them to appease President Donald Trump.
In its statement on Friday, the FBI Agents Association said Patel’s “dangerous new pattern of actions are weakening the Bureau” and making it “harder to recruit and retain skilled agents – ultimately putting our nation at greater risk.”
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