Muhammad Ali would 'romp and rave' over people 'burning our businesses' and 'police cars' during George Floyd protests, his ex-wife says
- Muhammad Ali would have condemned the violence that has marred some of the protests against police brutality and racial inequality in America following the death of George Floyd.
- A black man, Floyd died in police custody when a white officer, Derek Chauvin, knelt on his neck for eight minutes.
- It has sparked mass unrest throughout the US, but Ali's ex-wife, Khalilah Ali said Ali would not have liked seeing people "burning up our businesses, hurting people in the streets, and burning police cars."
- Khalilah Ali also said she's glad Ali was not alive to see the death of Floyd.
Muhammad Ali would not have liked to have seen people "burning up our businesses, hurting people in the streets, and burning police cars," one of his ex-wives Khalilah Ali said Tuesday.
Khalilah spoke to TMZ Sports as continued civil unrest wages through the United States following the death of a black man,George Floyd, who died May 25 after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for eight minutes.
The officer, Derek Chauvin, has since been charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter last week, but protests have continued, some of which have turned violent because of tensions between police and civilians, as well as the media.
"Muhammad would flip his switch," Khalilah said. "He would go off on everybody in here.
"I know that Ali would retaliate. He would really go off on people and I would love to see him romp and rave over these people hurting people, and burning up our businesses, and hurting people in the streets and burning up police cars.
"That is uncalled for. Ali would not like that at all."
Ali was a symbol for the civil rights movement in 1960s America. He took an unpopular stance against the Vietnam War, famously saying in response to the prospect of a five-year imprisonment: "We [black people] have been in jail for 400 years," the Independent reported.
Ali later campaigned against Islamophobia in the US following the 9/11 terror attacks.
Khalilah Ali was married to Ali for a nine-year period between 1967 to 1976 and was his advisor when he was a conscientious objector to the war.
She said: "I'm glad Ali was not here to see this [Floyd's death].
"For the real, honest, nonviolent protesters … keep protesting," Ali added.
"Make sure everybody starts learning to vote. Whether you like the system or not, you are the system. So, you can change the world."
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