• The FBI has fired around 20 agents involved in kneeling at a protest following George Floyd's death in 2020.
• The firings come amid a wave of personnel dismissals under FBI Director Kash Patel.
• The kneeling was intended as a de-escalation tactic during a period of intense protests for racial justice.
• The FBI Agents Association has condemned the terminations as a violation of due process.
• Controversy over the kneeling gesture sparked backlash, particularly from conservative commentators.

The FBI has terminated approximately 20 agents who were photographed kneeling during a racial justice protest in Washington, D.C., following the 2020 police killing of George Floyd. The kneeling was intended as a gesture to ease tensions between protesters and law enforcement, but it later drew significant criticism, particularly from conservative media. Reports indicate that while the kneeling was initially evaluated without disciplinary action, the agents were ultimately reassigned and dismissed earlier this week amid a broader personnel shakeup within the bureau, according to ABC News and India Times.

FBI Director Kash Patel, known for his loyalty to former President Donald Trump, has been at the center of a string of personnel changes within the FBI. The agents' termination letters cited a lack of judgment regarding their conduct during the protests, a move that has been strongly criticized by the FBI Agents Association. The association argued that the firings undermine due process and the rights of bureau employees, as conveyed in statements reported by CBS News and TRT Global.

The protests triggered by Floyd’s death sparked a global movement against systemic racism and police brutality. Each dismissal has raised concerns within the FBI regarding morale and the potential chilling effect on the agency's workforce, especially considering that many of the fired agents were military veterans entitled to additional job protections, a fact highlighted by BBC and NPR.

The terminations are part of a pattern noted by observers as indicative of the current FBI leadership's commitment to reshape the agency in line with right-leaning political sentiments, simultaneously facing criticism from other factions within the government. Specific allegations have emerged that officials have prioritized loyalty over procedural integrity, including claims made in a lawsuit by former agents who allege retaliatory dismissals based on politically sensitive investigations, according to Reuters and Los Angeles Times.