A video circulating on social media which purports to show a young George Floyd Jr appearing on an episode of popular reality show Judge Judy features a different, younger George Floyd than the man whose killing by Minneapolis police officers sparked a global protest movement.
The video, which has gainedtraction on Facebook and Twitter, shows a 16-year-old boy appearing before television Judge Judy Sheindlin.
In the episode, he is being sued for damages by a woman whose car he stole and crashed.
Same name, different men. Photo / Supplied
The young George Floyd admits that he pushed the woman to the floor to steal the keys before leading police on a chase and crashing the car.
He tells Judge Judy that he should have to pay for the damage because he would not have crashed the car if police were not chasing him.
The video fits neatly into the narrative for many who have sought to claim that George Floyd Jr was somehow deserving of his death or unworthy of being the focus of protest action because of his criminal background.
The problem? It's not him.
George Floyd Jr was 46 when police knelt on his neck and killed him in May 2020.
The episode of Judge Judy, which aired in 2010, features a young man named as George Floyd IV who gives his age as 16.
Facebook has acted to slow the spread of the clip, marking it as "false information" and requiring users to click through to see it, though they have not removed it wholesale.
