Adele says ‘racism is everywhere’ in rare social media post after George Floyd’s death

'It’s important we don’t get disheartened, hijacked or manipulated right now,' said singer

Adele has urged fans to be “righteously angered but focused” in a rare social media post following the death of George Floyd.

Protests have been raging across the United States in recent days since Floyd, an unarmed black man, died after a white police officer in Minneapolis knelt on his neck.

“George Floyd’s murder has sent shockwaves around the world, there are countless others that haven’t,” wrote Adele alongside a photo of Floyd on Instagram.

“Protests and marches are happening all over the globe simultaneously and only gaining momentum. So be righteously angered but be focused! Keep listening, keep asking and keep learning!

“It’s important we don’t get disheartened, hijacked or manipulated right now. This is about systematic racism, this is about police violence and it’s about inequality. And this isn’t only about America! Racism is alive and well everywhere. I wholeheartedly stand in solidarity with the fight for freedom, liberation and justice.”

Adele is one of many celebrities who have shared messages about Floyd’s death in recent days, with Rihanna, Beyoncé, Spike Lee, JK Rowling and Travis Scott among those to speak out.

Adele’s Instagram post is her second social media update in the whole of 2020, with the first being a picture of her celebrating her birthday last month.

The photo prompted many people to comment, controversially, on the singer's weight loss. "The response to Adele shows how, for all the praise directed at Lizzo and others for “embracing their curves”, the entertainment industry would still rather its artists fit a certain mould," wrote Roisin O'Connor in The Independent. "Society as a whole continues to place more value in a woman’s appearance than it does for their achievements in their chosen field."