Michael Douglas: 'There's too much evidence of police brutality to ignore Black Lives Matter'

Michael Douglas has spoken out about racial injustice following the shooting of unarmed black man Jacob Blake by cops in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Footage emerged online of the attempted arrest of the 29-year-old in the city, which shows a white officer grabbing his shirt before seven gunshots are heard - reportedly leaving the man in a critical but stable condition in hospital.

His partner, Laquisha Booker, told NBC's Milwaukee, Wisconsin affiliate, WTMJ-TV, that their three children were in the car at the time of the shooting, and the Basic Instinct star has insisted "people cannot argue with what they’re seeing".

"In all the situations where we have had video presence, the questions become much clearer than they were before," he explained during a conversation for Liberatum’s global humanitarian series Lifesaving Conversations, which was released online on Monday.

"So I hope for that matter alone, and it’s reached this point, where people cannot argue with what they’re seeing."
Explaining that increased access to technology has meant more "transparency" and opened people's eyes to what's going on worldwide, he added: "With the whole situation in Minneapolis (the killing of George Floyd in May 2020) it was so obvious and it was so clear to so many people that there was no argument.

"It’s not a racial issue i.e. Black versus white. It’s black and white. It’s a political issue now much more than ever was before. And I really strongly believe that we have a real opportunity here to make a larger jump in our racial division."

Douglas chatted virtually with former Sierra Leone child soldier Ishmael Beah about racial justice, the role of the United Nations, and the ongoing effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.