turn one's back on
ニューヨーク市長が警察官2名が殺害された事件に対する哀悼演説をしている際，聴衆である警察官の一部の態度に対する非難をしました。今回見て行きたい表現が彼ら態度を表すので先に取り上げます。"turned their backs on him"が気になりましたので，SPACEALCで調べると「〜に背を向ける、〜を無視する、〜を見放す、〜を見捨てる」などの意味がありました。つまり，市長の演説に後ろを向きながら聞いていたということです。市長が不快な気分になるのも無理ないですね。
このような態度をとった理由は，白人警察官が拘束した黒人が死亡し，裁判で不起訴となったことで抗議活動が始まったことに由来します。ニューヨーク市長は，警察ではなく，抗議活動を行っている人たちに対して，理解を示したことが，警官にとっては不満であったことが今回の行動の理由であるそうです。（Ume）
New York mayor rebukes police over funeral snub
The mayor of New York has rebuked hundreds of the city's police officers who turned their backs on him as he spoke at the funerals of two officers.
Bill de Blasio said the public snubbing had been disrespectful to the families of the two men and to the city.
Officers Wenjian Liu and Rafael Ramos were shot dead last month by a gunman with a grievance against the police.
Many police have resented the mayor's expressions of sympathy for anti-police protesters in recent months.
"Those individuals who took certain actions the last two weeks, they were disrespectful to the families involved. That's the bottom line," Mr de Blasio told reporters at police headquarters.
"They were disrespectful to the families who lost their loved ones. I can't understand why anyone would do such a thing in the context like that."
Mr de Blasio also dismissed suggestions that police had been working to rule since the killing of the two officers.
He described the apparent fall-off in arrests and court appearances for minor offences as an aberration.
