Europeans rally against racism and brutality

Thousands of people have taken to the streets of Barcelona, Madrid, Brussels and Rome in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, which has drawn large protests against racism and police brutality around the world.

In Brussels, protesters clambered on to the statue of Belgium’s former King Leopold II and chanted “reparations”, according to video posted on social media.

The word “shame” was also graffitied on the monument, a reference perhaps to claims Leopold is said to have reigned over the mass death of 10 million Congolese.

A rally in Rome’s sprawling People’s Square was noisy but peaceful, with the majority of protesters wearing masks to protect against coronavirus.

Participants listened to speeches and held up handmade placards saying Black Lives Matter and It’s a White Problem.

The rally came a day after largely peaceful anti-racism protests took place in cities in countries from Australia to Europe to the US in response to the May 25 death of American George Floyd.

In Berlin, police said 93 people were detained in connection with a demonstration in the German capital on Saturday – most of them after the main rally of 15,000 had ended.

Police said several officers and one press photographer were injured in Berlin when bottles and rocks were thrown from a crowd that had gathered despite police orders to clear the city’s Alexander Square.

In France’s southern port city of Marseille, police fired tear gas and pepper spray in skirmishes with protesters who hurled bottles and rocks after what had been an emotional yet peaceful demonstration.

In Hong Kong, about 20 people staged a rally in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement yesterday outside the US consulate in the semiautonomous Chinese city.

“It’s a global issue,” said Quinland Anderson, a 28-yearold British citizen living in Hong Kong.

“We have to remind ourselves despite all we see going on in the US and in the other parts of the world, black lives do indeed matter.”