FBI fires agents pictured kneeling during racial justice protest in 2020

27/9/2025 13:02

The FBI has fired a group of its agents photographed kneeling on the street in an attempt to de-escalate tensions during a racial justice protest in Washington in 2020 in the aftermath of George Floyd's killing by police in Minneapolis, three people familiar with the matter said on Friday.



The terminations came amid a spate of dismissals within the ranks of the nation's most prominent law enforcement agency since Kash Patel, a loyalist of President Donald Trump, was confirmed by the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate in February to lead the FBI.



It was not clear precisely how many FBI agents were terminated on Friday.



The FBI Agents Association, an advocacy group, issued a statement on Friday saying it "strongly condemns today's unlawful termination of more than a dozen FBI Special Agents," but made no mention of what may have precipitated their firings.



The three sources who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity put the number of terminations at between 15 and 22, with an unspecified portion being among those who came under fierce criticism from right-wing commentators for taking a knee during the demonstration.