Investec Causes Outcry With 'I Can't Breathe' Headline On Research Note

(Reuters) - A research note published by South African bank Investec with the headline "I can't breathe" caused an outcry on social media on Wednesday for its use of the dying words of Eric Garner, an unarmed black man killed in a police chokehold.The Investec note focused on a decision by U.S. authorities to put British bank Standard Chartered under greater regulatory scrutiny.Ian Gordon, the analyst who wrote the note, said in it that the U.S. government exerted arguably disproportionate control and influence over Standard Chartered's business.Investec's compliance department approved the note after removing a more explicit comparison with the Garner case.The note prompted some sharp criticism. Benjamin Lawsky, New York's powerful banking regulator and one of the U.S. regulators who has acted against Standard Chartered, tweeted, "Terrible. Should be disavowed with apologies by Investec."Gordon was not immediately available to comment. A spokesman for Investec declined to comment.Garner's last words before he died in July have become a slogan for nationwide protests against police violence in the United States.(Reporting by Carmel Crimmins, Matt Scuffham and Steve Slater. Editing by Jane Merriman)Join the conversation about this story
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