The FBI has dismissed more than a dozen agents who were photographed kneeling during a 2020 protest in Washington, D.C., following the death of George Floyd, according to multiple reports.
Sources told the Associated Press and other outlets that roughly 20 agents were terminated after being reassigned in the years since the incident.
The agents had joined demonstrators protesting racial injustice and police violence in the wake of Floyd’s killing in Minneapolis, which was captured on video and later led to the murder conviction of former officer Derek Chauvin.
The FBI Agents Association confirmed the firings Friday and called for an independent review of the decision under current FBI Director Kash Patel. A prior internal review, conducted under then-Director Christopher Wray, concluded that the agents had not violated bureau policy by taking a knee during the demonstration.
