Beyoncé, Rihanna and more celebrities protest the death of George Floyd

Following the death of an African American man named George Floyd, who was handcuffed and forcibly pinned to the ground by a white police officer, thousands are protesting and celebrities are speaking out.

Footage from Floyd’s death showed the 46-year-old begging for his life and telling four police officers, “I can’t breathe,” as he was being choked by an officer kneeling on Floyd’s neck. The video, which was taken by a bystander on May 25th in Minneapolis, quickly went viral on social media. And an independent autopsy later concluded that Floyd died of "asphyxiation from sustained pressure."

The four officers involved in Floyd’s death have since been dismissed, and Derek Chauvin, the officer seen kneeling on Floyd's neck was later arrested and charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. Additionally, the F.B.I. is reportedly conducting a federal civil rights investigation.

But many are saying that’s not enough - including celebrities with large social media followings like Beyoncé, Rihanna and Harry Styles.

Ariana Grande

As protests popped up all over the country and across the world over the weekend, some celebrities joined in. Ariana Grande tweeted photos from the peaceful protests she participated in from Los Angeles.

“Hours and miles of peaceful protesting yesterday that got little to no coverage,” she wrote, adding, “We were passionate, we were loud, we were loving. Cover this too please.”

Halsey

Halsey and John Cusack shared instances of police brutality that they witnessed while protesting. “Fired rubber bullets at us,” Halsey wrote of the police in Santa Monica, where she was protesting. “We did not breach the line. Hands were up. Unmoving. And they gassed and fired,” she explained.

Harry Styles

Harry Styles took to Instagram, calling for social change and donating to bail funds. “I stand in solidarity with all of those protesting. I’m donating to help post bail for arrested organizers,” he wrote. “Look inwards, educate yourself and others.”

Days later, he was also pictured holding a Black Lives Matter sign as he joined peaceful protestors in Los Angeles.

Timothée Chalamet

Timothée Chalamet was also spotted marching with peaceful protestors in Los Angeles. The actor shared multiple resources to his Instagram stories for fans to get involved, too, including links to petitions and ways to contact elected officials.

Emily Ratajkowski

After sharing several posts about Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests on her Instagram, Emily Ratajkowski shared footage from the protest she joined in Santa Monica to her Instagram story. “We chanted ‘kneel with us’ and the police and national guard carrying giant guns just stood there stone-faced,” she wrote, later calling what she witnessed, “depressing.”

Blake Lively

Blake Lively tweeted that she and husband Ryan Reynolds had donated $200,000 to the NAACP Legal Dense Fund. And Chrissy Teigen tweeted about her $100,000 donation to bailing out protestors, before doubling it after she received a tweet from a fan.

Beyonce

On Instagram, Beyoncé shared a heartfelt video, in which she called for justice. “We all witnessed his murder in broad daylight,” she said. “I’m not only speaking to people of color,” she later said. “If you’re white, black, brown or anything in between, I’m sure you feel hopeless by the racism going on in America right now.”

The singer also shared a link to several petitions her followers could sign to help achieve justice for Floyd and his family by holding the officers responsible for his death accountable.

Rihanna

Rihanna also shared a passionate message on Instagram alongside a photo of Floyd. “Watching my people get murdered and lynched day after day pushed me to a heavy place in my heart,” she wrote. “To the point of staying away from socials, just to avoid hearing the blood-curdling agony in George Floyd’s voice again, begging over and over for his life.”

Selena Gomez

Over the weekend, Selena Gomez called for her followers to “take action.” Sharing a photo on Instagram with the words, ‘Black Lives Matter,’ Gomez wrote, “Nothing anyone says can take back what has happened. But we can and must all make sure to take action.”

Billie Eilish

Billie Eilish shared multiple posts on Instagram over the weekend as well, including one where she explained why we needed to focus on ‘Black Lives Matter,’ and not ‘all lives matter.’

Naomi Campbell

Last week, supermodel Naomi Campbell posted a black and white photo of Floyd with the words he spoke to police officers as he was dying. “Where does it end?” Campbell questioned in her post.

Chance the Rapper

The rapper also got involved, posting about a protest at the Chicago Police Department headquarters. Encouraging fans to wear a mask and maintain a safe social distance of six feet apart, he reportedly spoke at the protest calling for an end to police brutality.

Justin Bieber

Justin Bieber shared the distressing video to his Instagram, declaring, “This must stop.”​

Bella Hadid

Model Bella Hadid posted a photo of Floyd, along with memories from his friends, describing him as “A man of peace.”

Cardi B

Cardi B wrote, “Enough is enough,” as she called the actions of the police officers “coward[ly].”

Zoe Kravitz

Actress Zoe Kravitz shared a similar message alongside a black and white photo of Floyd. “GEORGE FLOYD my heart breaks for you and your family. #policebrutality needs to stop,” she wrote.

Olivia Wilde

Other celebrities demanded justice while also sharing resources. Actress Olivia Wilde posted about Floyd on her Instagram, writing, “After the murder, officers called his death a "medical problem." And it wasn't until the video was released clearly showing them choking him, did we finally see the truth. This was a blatant and disgusting cover-up to prevent accountability for their brutal act of police violence.”

Wilde also shared a link in her Instagram stories to Color of Change. The nonprofit civil rights advocacy organization created a petition calling for the officers responsible for Floyd’s death to be blocked from collecting their pensions, banned from working as police officers again and charged with murder.

Taylor Swift

As the protests began, Taylor Swift took to Twitter to criticize President Donald Trump’s response. “After stoking the fires of white supremacy and racism your entire presidency, you have the nerve to feign moral superiority before threatening violence?” she tweeted, before adding, “We will vote you out in November.”

Ellen DeGeneres

Earlier in the week on Twitter, the messages condemning Floyd’s death were similar. Comedian Ellen DeGeneres, wrote, “Listen to the voices of the people closest to a tragedy, then use your voice to lift theirs.”

Others, like comedian Chelsea Handler, actress Mia Farrow and presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden, called for justice for Floyd and his family.