NEW YORK, July 5. /TASS/. The systemic racism has existed in the United States for more than 200 years and continues to have a destructive effect on the US society, US presidential candidate Joe Biden said in his Fourth of July message, published on Twitter.

According to Biden, the US has never lived up to its founding principle that all men are created equal. However, the idea survived "more than 200 years of systemic racism" in the country, he added.

"American history isn’t a fairytale. The battle for the soul of this nation has been a constant push-and-pull for more than 240 years. But it’s a battle we can and will win — together," he said.

The issue of systemic racism in US law enforcement was brought into the spotlight following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota. A police officer kneeled on his neck and choked him during his arrest. Floyd later died in a local Minneapolis hospital. All officers involved in the fatal incident were fired and are now facing criminal charges. The patrolman in question, Derek Chauvin, is being charged with second-degree murder.

Shortly after, protests against racial discrimination and police misconduct and brutality flared up in the US and many other countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada and France.