Anti-racism protests urge ‘time for change’
TENS of thousands of peaceful protesters rallied for racial justice in cities across the United States following the death of George Floyd, as the movement triggered by his killing at police hands entered a second weekend.
Protests on Saturday took place from New York to Los Angeles but Washington was at the epicentre, as thousands of people – black, white and brown – flooded streets surrounding the White House, which was barricaded with black metal grates.
“This fight has been happening for many, many decades, hundreds of years, and at this point it’s time for a change,” said Washington native Christine Montgomery.
“I’m here so my son is not the next hashtag that is circulating worldwide,” she added, indicating her 10-year-old child standing next to her.
Many people wore masks because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Military personnel as well as police watched over the gathering.
The protests were ignited by videos of a police officer kneeling on Mr Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes as he pleaded for his life – the latest unarmed black person to die in the hands of white law enforcement officers.
The rage since his death in Minneapolis on May 25 has exploded into civil unrest.
A remembrance for Mr Floyd was held Saturday in Raeford, North Carolina, the state where he was born, following a memorial service in Minneapolis on Thursday.
Around the world, protesters echoed the rage of American demonstrators.
“It is time to burn down institutional racism,” one speaker told a crowd of thousands outside the parliament building in London.
Tens of thousands rallied in Australia and France, while in Tunis, hundreds chanted: “We want justice! We want to breathe!”
Back in Washington, many black protesters hailed the multiracial, multiethnic nature of the demonstrations, calling it “invigorating”.
The days of demonstrations in the US – which have included outbreaks of looting and violence – have seen new police abuses.
In Buffalo, New York, two policemen were charged with felony assault Saturday after they were filmed shoving a 75-year-old protester who fell and hit his head.
In Indianapolis, police launched a probe after video showed officers hitting a woman with batons and firing pepper balls at her last week.