News Networks Air Full, Uncensored George Floyd Video as Part of Derek Chauvin Trial Opening Statement

All of the major cable news and broadcast networks aired the complete, uncensored footage showing Derek Chauvin kneeling on George Floyd’s neck, as prosecutors delivered their opening statements in the murder trial of the former Minneapolis police officer.

The Chauvin trial comes after months of civil unrest after the former officer was filmed with his knee on Floyd’s neck for 8 minutes and 42 seconds. When Floyd died shortly afterwards, the incident became a flashpoint that sparked international protests against police brutality and racial injustice.

As the trial got underway, Fox News, CNN, NBC, MSNBC, ABC, and CBS all broke away from their usual programming and carried the opening statement from Prosecution Attorney Jerry Blackwell. Blackwell laid out the case against Chauvin — telling the jurors, “I wanted to try to set the stage for what you are going to see.” From there, he played the footage from Floyd’s arrest.

All the networks aired the video, and while it was tagged for “graphic content,” it was played full and uncensored as Chauvin and his colleagues were shown being confronted by the public during the arrest. When the video stopped, Blackwell pointed out that for half of its duration, “Mr. Floyd was unconscious, breathless, pulseless.”

Watch above, via Fox News.