Bernie Sanders criticises Republican policing bill and says ‘we need to abolish qualified immunity’

‘Now is the time to implement far-reaching reforms that will protect people and communities that have suffered’

Vermont senator Bernie Sanders has criticised the proposed Republican police reform bill, and has demanded the end to qualified immunity.

On Wednesday, Republican senators announced a new bill that aims to reform police forces in the US, amid mass protests in response to the death of George Floyd, who died after being detained by a Minneapolis police officer.

A rival police reform bill was announced by Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday evening, which differs from the proposed Senate legislation by calling for national measures to be implemented and chokeholds to be banned.

The Republican bill, named the JUSTICE Act, aims to incentivise individual states to take action on police misconduct, but only calls for restrictions on chokeholds, not an outright ban.

Speaking in the senate on Thursday, Mr Sanders criticised the new bill, which is led by Republican senator Tim Scott, and said that it does not go far enough in tackling police brutality, according to Common Dreams.

Referencing the proposed GOP bill, Mr Sanders said that the legislation is not radical enough to fix issues surrounding police violence and brutality in the US.

“Now is not the time to think small or respond with superficial, bureaucratic proposals,” Mr Sanders said.

“Now is not the time for more studies. Now is the time to hold racist and corrupt police officers and police departments accountable for their actions.”

Mr Sanders put forward several transformative ideas to address issues with police violence in the US, including abolishing qualified immunity.

He said: “We need to abolish ‘qualified immunity’ so police officers are held civilly liable for abuses.”

The senator added that “those found guilty, must be punished with the full force of law. That includes officers who stand by while brutal acts take place.”

During his speech, Mr Sanders called for an unarmed “civillian core” of first responders to be added to police divisions, alongside numerous other policies to make sure officers are not forced to do tasks they are not trained for.

He said that “now is the time to implement far-reaching reforms that will protect people and communities that have suffered police brutality, torture, and murder for far too long.”

Mr Sanders added: “And now is the time to act boldly to protect the First Amendment right to protest.”