The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Thousands join Black Lives Matter protests
Anti-racism rally outside US embassy in London over death of George Floyd
Thousands of protesters have joined an anti-racism rally outside the US embassy in London as Black Lives Matter demonstrations take place in cities across the UK.
Crowds of demonstrators wore face coverings and held placards outside the embassy in Battersea, south-west London, yesterday, in protest against police brutality following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
The Metropolitan Police warned drivers of disruption on Nine Elms Lane, while video footage showed protesters flooding the roads outside the embassy.
Free masks, gloves and hand gel were being given out to the thousands of people, with some wearing T-shirts reading “I can’t breathe”.
Another protester had written “get your knee off our necks” in luminous ink on the back of his jacket, echoing the words of black civil rights leader the Rev Al Sharpton who spoke at Mr Floyd’s memorial service.
Meanwhile, London Black Lives
Matter organised an online protest via Zoom for those who were unable to attend demonstrations in person.
In Bristol, thousands marched through the city centre after a crowd of at least 5,000 packed into the College Green area to hear from speakers and hold an eight-minute silence.
Protesters pulled down the controversial statue of 17th Century slave trader Edward Colston – situated in Bristol’s city centre since 1895 – from its plinth.
The bronze memorial has been the subject of an 11,000-strong petition to have it removed.
Many activists wore masks and gloves, but the majority were unable to adhere to the two-metre social distancing guidance and were pressed against one another in the city’s narrow streets.
In Edinburgh, protesters including pop superstar Lewis Capaldi gathered in Holyrood Park to listen to an array of speakers, with speeches punctuated by chants of “black lives matter”, “no justice, no peace” and supportive horn honking from passing cars.
Elsewhere, hundreds of people crowded into Manchester’s St Peter’s Square, kneeling in silence as a mark of respect for Mr Floyd, who died after a white police officer held him down by pressing a knee into his neck on May 25.
Following speeches, protesters marched through the city centre for a second day in Manchester.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said it is “undoubtedly a risk” that there will be an increase in Covid-19 cases following the protests, as he urged people not to gather in groups of more than six.
Protesters also took to the streets on Saturday for events held in London, Manchester, Cardiff, Sheffield and Newcastle, among other cities.
Demonstrations in central London were peaceful for much of the afternoon, but disturbances began breaking out at around 6pm outside Downing Street.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick said 14 officers were injured during clashes with a minority of protesters, while 29 people were arrested.