Demonstrators flood into US cities

Massive demonstrations against racism and police brutality filled some of America’s most famous cityscapes, with tens of thousands of people marching peacefully in scenes that were more often festive than tense.

Wearing masks and urging fundamental change, protesters gathered in dozens of places from coast to coast while mourners in North Carolina waited for hours to glimpse the golden coffin carrying the body of George Floyd, a black man whose death at the hands of Minneapolis police galvanised the expanding movement.

Collectively, it was perhaps the largest one-day mobilisation since Mr Floyd died 12 days ago and came as many cities began lifting curfews that authorities imposed following initial spasms of arson, assaults and smashand-grab looting raids on businesses.

Authorities have softened restrictions as the number of arrests plummeted. The largest US demonstration appeared to be in Washington, where streams of protesters flooded streets closed to traffic.

At the White House chants and cheers could be heard in waves. President Donald Trump, who has urged authorities to crack down on unrest, played down the demonstration, tweeting: “Much smaller crowd in DC than anticipated.”

Elsewhere, peaceful marchers filed across the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and the Brooklyn Bridge in New York. They walked the streets of Hollywood and a Nashville street famous for country musicthemed bars and restaurants.

Mr Floyd’s body will go to Houston, where he lived before Minneapolis, for another memorial in the coming days. Protesters are determined to turn the outpouring into change, notably overhauling policing policies.