BLM protesters focus on two more deaths
Protests initially ignited by the May 25 death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police continued over the weekend, as anti-racism protesters in the United States sought to call attention to the deaths of two more black men and Black Lives Matter demonstrations unfolded in London and Paris.
Early yesterday, Atlanta police announced that an officer had been fired following the fatal shooting of Rayshard Brooks, 27, on Friday, local time, and another officer had been placed on administrative duty. Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms had called for the immediate firing of the officer who opened fire on Brooks at a press conference Saturday evening, where she also announced that she had accepted the resignation of Police Chief Erika Shields. ‘‘I do not believe that this was a justified use of deadly force,’’ Bottoms said.
Roughly 150 protesters marched outside the Wendy’s restaurant outside where Brooks was shot, reigniting demonstrations that had largely simmered in the Georgia capital nearly three weeks after Floyd, another black man, died after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee to his neck.
The Wendy’s was set alight at one point Saturday night, although the fire was out before midnight. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said that Brooks, who was seen on body camera video sleeping in a car blocking the Wendy’s drive through, failed a sobriety test and was shot in a struggle over a police Taser.
In Palmdale, California, hundreds of people marched to demand an investigation into the death of Robert Fuller, 24, who was found hanging from a tree on Wednesday near city hall. The protesters marched from where the body was found to a sheriff’s station, with many carrying signs that said ‘‘Justice for Robert Fuller.’’ Authorities said the death appeared to be a suicide, but an autopsy was planned. The city said there were no outdoor cameras that could have recorded what happened.
Protesters in New Orleans tore down a bust of a slave owner who left part of his fortune to New Orleans’ schools and took the remains to the Mississippi River.
The toppling of the slave owner’s bust was yet another episode in the rapidly unfolding movement to take down Confederate statues in the US and reassess monuments to historical figures worldwide.
European protesters sought to show solidarity with their American counterparts and to confront bias in their own countries on Saturday. The demonstrations also posed a challenge to policies intended to limit crowds to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
In Paris, police stopped protesters from confronting farRight activists who unfurled a huge banner from a building denouncing ‘‘anti-white racism.’’ The banner was partly torn down by residents in the building, with one raising a fist in victory.
A Black Lives Matter group in London called off a demonstration, saying the presence of counter-protesters would make it unsafe. Right-wing activists and soccer fans descended on London, saying they wanted to guard historical monuments that have been targeted by anti-racism protesters.
Many gathered around the statue of wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill and the Cenotaph war memorial, which were boarded up Friday to protect them from vandalism.
Some activists threw bottles and cans at officers, while others tried to push through police barriers. The mostly white crowd chanted ‘‘England’’ and sang the national anthem while riot police on horses pushed them back. Police made 100 arrests.
A rally in Paris drew 15,000, led by supporters of Adama Traore, a French black man who died in police custody in 2016. Noone has been charged in his death. Police fired tear gas and blocked people from marching.
An enormous portrait showed one face with images of Floyd and Traore.