Protests around world in solidarity over death

Nations around the world have watched in horror at the civil unrest in the United States following the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a white police officer pressed his knee on his neck until he stopped breathing.

Racism-tinged events no longer startle even America’s closest allies, though many have watched coverage of the often-violent protests with growing unease. Burning cars and riot police in the US featured on newspaper front pages around the globe on Sunday — bumping news of the Covid-19 pandemic to second-tier status in some places.

Floyd’s death on May 25 in

Minneapolis was the latest in a series of deaths of black men and women at the hands of police in the US.

Thousands gathered in central London yesterday to offer support for American demonstrators. Chanting “No justice! No peace!” and waving placards with the words “How many more?” in Trafalgar Square, the protesters ignored UK government rules banning crowds because of the pandemic. Police didn’t stop them.

Demonstrators then marched to the US Embassy, where a long line of officers surrounded the building. Several hundred milled around in the street and waved placards.

Protesters in Denmark also converged on the US Embassy yesterday. Participants carried placards with messages such as “Stop Killing Black People”.

The US Embassy in Berlin was the scene of protests on Sunday under the motto: “Justice for George Floyd”. Several hundred more people took to the streets yesterday in the capital’s Kreuzberg area, carrying signs with slogans like “Silence is Violence”, “Hold Cops Accountable”, and “Who Do You Call When Police Murder?” No incidents were reported.

Russia accused the United States of “systemic problems in the human rights sphere”. It denounced Floyd’s death as the latest in a series of police violence cases against African Americans.

In Brazil, hundreds of people gathered in front of the Rio de Janeiro state government palace to protest against crimes committed by the police against black people in Rio’s working-class neighbourhoods, known as favelas.

The protest, called “Black lives matter”, was interrupted when police used teargas to disperse people. “I can’t breathe”, said some of the demonstrators, alluding to George Floyd´s death.

Lebanese anti-government protesters flooded social media with sympathetic tweets, using the hashtag #Americarevolts.