LEWIS HAMILTON “won’t let up” on his fight for racial equality after his display at the Tuscan Grand Prix.
The reigning champ donned a T-shirt on race day that read: “Arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor.”
Lewis Hamilton called for justice for Breonna Taylor after the African-American was shot by police in the United States six months agoCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Hamilton and Mercedes have pledged their commitment to raising awareness of racial injusticeCredit: Reuters
F1’s governing body, the FIA, will not punish Hamilton, 35, amid critics’ claims that it was a political message – which are banned from the sport.
But the six-time world champion says criticism won’t stop him fighting for justice however he sees fit.
Hamilton wrote online: “I want you to know that I won’t stop, I won’t let up, I won’t give up on using this platform to shed light on what I believe is right.
“This is a journey for all of us to come together and challenge the world on every level of injustice, not only racial.”
He added in a separate post: “It’s been 6 months since Breonna Taylor was murdered by policemen, in her own home.
“Still no justice has been served. We won’t stay silent.”
Sunday’s Tuscan GP, Hamilton’s sixth win of the 2020 season, coincided with the six-month anniversary of Taylor’s death.
Three police officers stormed her Kentucky apartment on a no-knock warrant as part of a narcotics investigation.
Taylor’s boyfriend Kenneth Walker fired his gun at the officers believing them to be intruders, before the officers retaliated by firing multiple rounds into the home – eight of which are believed to have hit Taylor.
On the night of her death, cops were looking for suspect Jamarcus Glover, who allegedly dated Breonna two years ago.
But the man was arrested in a separate raid ten miles away on the same night officers broke into her apartment.
A grand jury has been assembled to investigate the incident with two of the three officers retaining their jobs and another appealing his sacking.
Hamilton’s call for justice for Taylor, who was 26, is just the Mercedes superstar’s latest anti-racism display.
The Brit has helped encourage F1 to take racial issues more seriously and has taken a knee before races this season.
And while the FIA will not take action against Hamilton, they are said to be evaluating whether new guidelines are necessary to monitor future displays.
After the race, he stated: “It took me a long time to get that shirt and I’ve been wanting to wear that and bring awareness to the fact that there’s people that have been killed on the street and there’s someone that got killed in her own house.
“And they’re in the wrong house, and those guys are still walking free and we can’t rest, we can’t… we have to continue to raise awareness with it.”
Mercedes posted Hamilton’s message to their Twitter account on Tuesday morning and backed their driver’s stance.
The team stated: “We’re not bringing politics into F1, these are human rights issues that we are trying to highlight and raise awareness of. There’s a big difference.”
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Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
