Following the events of George Floyd murder, six-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has said that he has been filled with rage.
Hamilton penned a long message on Instagram in which the champion talked about the racism, not only in the United States, but the entire world.
"This past week has been so dark. I have failed to keep hold of my emotions. I have felt so much anger, sadness, and disbelief in what my eyes have seen. I am completely overcome with rage at the sight of such blatant disregard for the lives of our people," Hamilton wrote on Instagram.
"The injustice that we are seeing our brothers and sisters face all over the world time and time again is disgusting, and MUST stop. So many people seem surprised, but to us, unfortunately, it is not surprising. Those of us who are black, brown or in between, see it every day and should not have to feel as though we were born guilty, don't belong, or fear for our lives based on the colour of our skin," he added.
Quoting legendary actor, Will Smith, he said: "Will Smith said it best, racism is not getting worse, it's being filmed. Only now that the world is so well equipped with cameras has this issue been able to come to light in such a big way. It is only when there are riots and screams for justice that the powers that be cave in and do something, but by then it is far too late and not enough has been done."
"It took hundreds of thousands of people's complaints and buildings to burn before officials reacted and decided to arrest Derek Chauvin for murder, and that is sad.
"Unfortunately, America is not the only place where racism lives and we continue to fail as humans when we cannot stand up for what is right. Please do not sit in silence, no matter the colour of your skin. Black Lives Matter," he concluded.
For the unversed, protests have taken place across the U.S. this week after Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died in police custody after he was accused of attempting to use a counterfeit 20 USD bill at a Minneapolis deli.
Floyd was handcuffed and pinned to the ground by police, with one officer, Derek Chauvin, holding his knee to the man's neck for more than seven minutes, even as he complained that he couldn't breathe and pleaded for help, and after he became unresponsive. Paramedics were called and performed chest compressions and transported the man to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The video of the arrest went viral which prompted protests and riots in Minneapolis and other cities across the country. The four police involved in the incident were fired, and on Friday, Chauvin was arrested and charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
