Toyota says it no longer employs staff shown mocking George Floyd death

Toyota Motor Corp. said workers who were involved in a video mocking George Floyd, who was killed by Minneapolis police and has become a symbol for the Black Lives Matter movement, are no longer employed by the company.

The Japanese automaker would not provide details, but said in a statement that it takes allegations of workplace racism seriously and that the individuals no longer work at its factory in Princeton, Indiana.

The incident was reported earlier by The Independent, which said that two employees, including a supervisor, were fired after a video surfaced showing the supervisor kneeling on a file binder on June 6 and saying “that will keep them down." Floyd, an unarmed Black man, died May 25 after a police officer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes.

Chris Reynolds, Toyota Motor North America’s chief administrative officer, did not address the incident in a video posted this week, but said the company is redoubling efforts to fight racism by targeting the communities near where it has manufacturing facilities. “Our team members expect action, they expect tangible steps to be taken to show our pre-existing commitment to social justice," he said.