The FBI has fired more than a dozen agents who were photographed kneeling at a protest in Washington following the death of George Floyd, according to new reports.
The Associated Press and others reported, citing people familiar with the situation, that roughly 20 FBI agents were fired after having already been shuffled around and reassigned. All of them participated in a protest against racial and police violence after Floyd was killed in police custody in Minneapolis in May 2020.
The FBI Agents Association confirmed the firings on Friday and called for an investigation into the decision under FBI Director Kash Patel. An investigation into the photo of the agents kneeling at the time by then-FBI Director Christopher Wray determined that the agents had not violated the bureau’s policies. The demonstration was one of numerous Black Lives Matter-related movements across the country that came in response to Floyd’s death, which was caught on camera. Derek Chauvin was eventually charged with Floyd’s murder.
“As Director Patel has repeatedly stated, nobody is above the law. But rather than providing these agents with fair treatment and due process, Patel chose to again violate the law by ignoring these agents’ constitutional and legal rights instead of following the requisite process,” they said in a statement.
The FBI itself has thus far refused to comment on the situation. The latest round of firings reportedly came after a review by the bureau’s inspection division. Some
The original photograph of the agents kneeling was taken at a June 4, 2020 demonstration on Pennsylvania Avenue. It quickly drew reactions on social media where some critics blasted the agents for taking part. FBI agents were deployed by then-Attorney General William Barr in response to protests across the country over Floyd and against police violence.
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