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14th Sep 2020

Lewis Hamilton wears Breonna Taylor t-shirt after Tuscan GP win

Wayne Farry

lewis hamilton

Hamilton has been a vocal proponent of the Black Lives Matter movement

Lewis Hamilton wore a t-shirt calling for the arrest of the police officers that killed Breonna Taylor following his victory at the Tuscan Grand Prix on Sunday.

Hamilton, who took the knee before the race began, wore a T-shirt with the words “Arrest The Cops Who Killed Breonna Taylor” on the front, with the back featuring a picture of the 26-year-old on the back next to the words “Say Her Name”.

Taylor, who was a full-time ER, was killed by two plain clothes police officers in March of this year after they entered her home on a no-knock warrant. After gunfire was exchanged between Taylor’s boyfriend and police, she had been shot eight times. No charges have been brought against the officers involved.

Prior to the race on Sunday, Hamilton posted a selfie of himself wearing the t-shirt and afterwards posted an image of himself taking the knee.

The caption read: “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. #JusticeForBreonnaTaylor”

 

The 35-year-old has been a vocal supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement this year, and has increasingly used his platform to raise awareness of racial injustice in the United States and elsewhere.

After the tragic death of George Floyd, whose killing at the hands of police in Minneapolis sparked worldwide protests, Hamilton wrote: “I see those of you who are staying silent, some of you the biggest of stars yet you stay silent in the midst of injustice. Not a sign from anybody in my industry which of course is a white dominated sport. I’m one of the only people of colour there yet I stand alone.”

More than halfway through the 2020 Formula One season, Hamilton has won seven of the nine races thus far.