‘That’s some privilege right there’: Dara Ó Briain compares own experience using counterfeit note to George Floyd

Comedian Dara Ó Briain has highlighted his privilege by comparing his experience using a counterfeit note to George Floyd’s.

The Mock the Week host tweeted an anecdote about a time he accidentally used a fake note and how his experience differed to Floyd’s, who was accused of using a counterfeit bill and died after a police officer knelt on his neck for nine minutes.

“Just found out that George Floyd was originally stopped by the police because he handed over a counterfeit note in a shop,” Ó Briain tweeted.

“I did that once! They handed me back the note as a souvenir, and later I told the story on stage in a comedy routine. That’s some privilege right there.”

Following the death of Floyd, Black Lives Matter protests have spread across the United States, with demonstrations taking place in every state.

Across television, presenters have discussed and shown their support for the protesters, with The Daily Show host Trevor Noah expressing the horror he felt watching the video of Floyd’s death, which was widely circulated on social media.

He said: “Oftentimes, we’re told that police feared for their lives, it was a threat and you always feel like an a**hole when you’re like, ‘You didn’t fear for your life, how did you fear for your life?’”

“But now, more and more, we’re starting to see that it doesn’t seem like it’s a fear, it just seems like you can do it so you did it. There was a black man on the ground in handcuffs and you could take his life, so you did, almost knowing that there would be no ramifications.”

He continued: “Try to imagine how it must feel for black Americans when they watch themselves being looted every single day, because that’s fundamentally what’s happening in America. Police in America are looting black bodies.”