The FBI has dismissed more than a dozen agents who were photographed kneeling during a 2020 protest in Washington, D.C., following the death of George Floyd, according to multiple reports.<\/p>\n
Sources told the Associated Press and other outlets that roughly 20 agents were terminated after being reassigned in the years since the incident.<\/p>\n
The agents had joined demonstrators protesting racial injustice and police violence in the wake of Floyd\u2019s killing in Minneapolis, which was captured on video and later led to the murder conviction of former officer Derek Chauvin.<\/p>\n
The FBI Agents Association confirmed the firings Friday and called for an independent review of the decision under current FBI Director Kash Patel. A prior internal review, conducted under then-Director Christopher Wray, concluded that the agents had not violated bureau policy by taking a knee during the demonstration.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs 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\u2019 constitutional and legal rights instead of following the requisite process,\u201d they said in a statement.<\/p>\n
The protest was among many nationwide that followed Floyd\u2019s death. More than a few were violent and involved burning property, injuring police officers, and attacks on opponents.<\/p>\n
The photograph of the FBI agents kneeling was captured on June 4, 2020, during a demonstration on Pennsylvania Avenue. The image spread quickly online, drawing sharp reactions from social media users, with some critics condemning the agents for participating.<\/p>\n
At the time, then\u2013Attorney General William Barr had ordered FBI agents to be deployed nationwide in response to the protests over George Floyd\u2019s death and broader calls against police violence.<\/p>\n