Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi thanked George Floyd for “sacrificing [his] life for justice” on Tuesday following the Derek Chauvin guilty verdict, prompting swift backlash from activists who thought her comments were tone-deaf.

Joined by members of the Congressional Black Caucus at a press conference, Pelosi said “because of you, and because of thousands ― millions ― of people around the world who came out for justice, your name will always be synonymous with justice.”

Floyd was murdered last year by Chauvin, a former cop, who placed his knee on Floyd’s neck for over nine minutes. His death prompted a wave of protests across the world on police brutality and policing in Black communities in the U.S.

he was murdered. https://t.co/kd17N6oXND

— deray (@deray) April 20, 2021

No one needed to hear from Nancy Pelosi today. https://t.co/NBfr8bE7OW

— Lindsey Adler (@lindseyadler) April 20, 2021

Pelosi took to Twitter to clarify her comments saying that Floyd “did not die in vain.”

“George Floyd should be alive today. His family’s calls for justice for his murder were heard around the world,” she wrote. “We must make sure other families don’t suffer the same racism, violence & pain, and we must enact the George Floyd #JusticeInPolicing Act.”

A jury found Chauvin guilty of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

RELATED: Derek Chauvin verdict: Jury finds the former officer guilty on all counts