Thousands rally around globe against racism
LONDON — Thousands of people took to the streets of European cities Sunday to show their support for the Black Lives Matter movement, with protesters in the English port of Bristol venting their anger at the country’s colonial history by toppling a statue of a 17thcentury slave trader.
Demonstrators attached ropes to the statue of Edward Colston before pulling it down to cheers and roars of approval.
Images on social media show protesters appearing to kneel on the statue’s neck, recalling the death of George Floyd in Minnesota on May 25 that has sparked worldwide protests against racism and police violence. Floyd, a black man, died after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee on his neck even after he pleaded for air while lying handcuffed on the ground. The statue met with a watery end as it was eventually rolled into the city’s harbor.
It wasn’t the only statute targeted on Sunday. In Brussels, protesters clambered onto the statue of former King Leopold II and chanted “reparations,” according to video on social media. Leopold is said to have reigned over the mass death of 10 million Congolese.
In London, thousands of people congregated around the U.S. Embassy for a second consecutive day.
“Everyone knows that this represents more than just George Floyd, more than just America, but racism all around the world,” said Darcy Bourne, a London student.
The protests were mainly peaceful but for the second day running there were scuffles near the offices of Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Objects were thrown at police around arches that connect the Foreign Office and the Treasury. Protesters also hurled objects at police outside the gates of Parliament.
Police said 14 officers were injured Saturday during clashes with protesters in central London that followed a largely peaceful Black Lives Matter demonstration attended by tens of thousands.
Hundreds of people also formed a densely packed crowd Sunday in a square in central Manchester, kneeling in silence as a mark of respect for George Floyd.
In Hong Kong, about 20 people staged a rally outside the U.S. Consulate, while several dozen demonstrators took part in a Black Lives Matter protest held in Tel Aviv’s central Rabin Square.
A rally in Rome’s sprawling People’s Square was noisy but peaceful. Participants listened to speeches and held up placards saying “Black Lives Matter” and “It’s a White Problem.”
In Italy’s financial capital, Milan, a few thousand protesters gathered in a square outside the central train station Sunday. Many in the crowd were migrants or children of migrants of African origin.
In Spain, several thousand gathered on the streets of Barcelona and at the U.S. Embassy in Madrid.