Anger and solidarity grow globally, turn into anti-Trump cudgel

Mass protests over the police killing of another black man in the United States spread globally in the past few days, as many demonstrators not only expressed solidarity with their American counterparts but denounced racism in their own countries.

Some critics, notably in China and Iran, used the killing to deflect from their own problems, saying it showed what they called the hypocrisy and arrogance of an increasingly isolated Trump administration.

The criticism thundered from the streets of Berlin, London and Paris to capitals in Africa, Latin America and the Middle East.

Artists drew an anti-racism mural in a besieged part of Syria. Lebanese and Chilean protesters offered advice on protection from police abuse.

In London, thousands of demonstrators ringed the moated U.S. Embassy in defiance of stay-at-home coronavirus restrictions and chanted George Floyd’s name, “I can’t breathe” and “No justice, no peace,” before making their way to Grenfell Tower, site of a devastating fire in 2017 that killed many Arab, Muslim and African residents.

In Paris, among those calling for protests was the family of Adama Traoré, a 24-year-old Black man who died in custody in 2016 after having been tackled by police.

The widespread condemnation partly reflected what critics called the erosion of America’s moral authority. President Donald Trump already faces criticism for a response to the coronavirus pandemic that has led the United States to relinquish its longtime role as a leader in times of crisis.

In China, the state-run news media featured reports about Floyd’s death and portrayed the protests as another sign of America’s decline. The European Union said Monday that it hoped “all the issues” related to the protests in the U.S. “will be settled swiftly and in full respect for the rule of law and human rights.” Such language is usually used for violent breakdowns in nations with few democratic or human rights safeguards.

In Australia, the hashtag #aboriginallivesmatter was trending on Twitter on Monday.

Some noted that more than 400 indigenous Australians had died in police custody since 1991, without a single police officer convicted of abuse.