Firefighter Genevieve Hansen Sets Twitter Ablaze with Chauvin Trial Testimony: ‘She BROUGHT the Fire!’
Minneapolis firefighter Genevieve Hansen caused a social media sensation as she testified in the trial of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd, and fended off defense attorney Eric Nelson’s attempts to impeach her.
Hansen testified for an hour and a half at day two of the Chauvin trial, one of several star witnesses for the prosecution that day, about the officers’ refusal to allow her to give medical assistance to Floyd. But Hansen’s cutting rejoinders to Nelson’s various insinuations about her testimony earned her a flood of reactions on Twitter — as well as a rebuke from Judge Peter Cahill.
Many journalists, media figures, and others saw Nelson’s questioning as sexist, and most saw Hansen’s testimony as devastating to the defense.
Wow, this female firefighter’s testimony is powerful. This is going to be problematic for the Chauvin defense and the defense for officer Tao to explain — why they wouldn’t allow a trained EMT to provide George Floyd with assistance, and so casually dismissed her while he died.
— Joy-Ann Pro-Democracy & Masks Reid ? (@JoyAnnReid) March 30, 2021
“Your question is unclear because you don’t know my job.” pic.twitter.com/euIFhJkhy0
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 30, 2021
After this testimony, is there anyone still arguing that what happened wasn’t homicide? https://t.co/E7gQ7JAAXW
— S.V. Dáte (@svdate) March 30, 2021
May we all be as confident as Genevieve Hansen when facing a bully.
— melissa “cancel student debt” byrne (@mcbyrne) March 30, 2021
Genevieve Hansen is my hero. Seeing her on the stand, not allowing the lawyer to intimidate her. Her testimony was so powerful & I LOVE that she asked the attorney if he had ever watched anyone get killed before. She wasn’t fighting fires, she BROUGHT the fire! #GeorgeFloydTrial pic.twitter.com/GJA6fo1w0L
— MΞGAN KΞLLΞY HALL (@MeganKelleyHall) March 30, 2021
I do not say this lightly and have never said this about anyone else before, but I hereby move that effectively immediately #GenevieveHansen is invited to all future cookouts.
— Drew Dixon (@deardrewdixon) March 30, 2021
Chauvin attorney trying to imply witness Genevieve Hansen was too upset to remember the events correctly. “I don’t know if you’ve ever seen anybody get killed, but it’s upsetting,” she says.
— Marisa Kabas (@MarisaKabas) March 30, 2021
This woman’s face is every woman’s face as some dude tries to mansplain her job to her. #ChauvinTrial pic.twitter.com/cFwApnofby
— Lisa Guerrero ?? (@4lisaguerrero) March 30, 2021
Very compelling testimony from firefighter Genevieve Hansen. https://t.co/5uDNsRLRcv
— Jason DeRusha (@DeRushaJ) March 30, 2021
Derek Chauvin’s lawyer: You called officers a bitch, right?
Genevieve Hansen, off-duty firefighter on scene: “Mmhm … I got quite angry after Mr. Floyd was loaded into the ambulance & there was no point in trying to reason w/ them anymore because they had just killed somebody.”
— Yamiche Alcindor (@Yamiche) March 30, 2021
Genevieve Hansen is not havin’ it. None of it.
— Jonathan Capehart (@CapehartJ) March 30, 2021
Derek Chauvin’s defense: “A stressful situation can impact your memory, right?”
Genevieve Hansen, the off-duty firefighter who witnessed George Floyd’s death: “Absolutely, that’s why we’re lucky it was videotaped.” pic.twitter.com/uyxNb7vYBd
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) March 30, 2021
Listening to Minneapolis Firefighter Genevieve Clara Hansen describe the steps a prudent first responder would have taken to render aid to #GeorgeFloyd makes your heart and stomach sink when you consider the aid he wasn’t given. #DerekChauvinTrial
— Laura Coates (@thelauracoates) March 30, 2021
“I don’t know if you’ve seen anybody be killed, but it’s upsetting” — Genevieve Clara Hansen to Chauvin defense attorney Eric Nelson pic.twitter.com/dFQ10UI0Ca
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 30, 2021
Thank you, Genevieve Hansen. https://t.co/KPErc6ztnw
— Jenelle Riley (@jenelleriley) March 30, 2021
Firefighter #GenevieveHansen is a hero. She is doing her best to make sure the truth gets out. And on that witness stand, she will NOT let them twist her words or paint the picture “pretty”.
She witnessed a murder.
She is there to testify about it. #DerekChauvinTrial https://t.co/nohkPRYILn— yvette nicole brown (@YNB) March 30, 2021
Hansen will resume her testimony Wednesday morning following a scolding by the judge for “arguing” with “the court” and with Nelson.
Watch Hansen’s testimony above via Washington Post Live.
