African nations call for racism debate at UN Human Rights Council
African countries on Friday called on the United Nation Human Rights Council to urgently debate racism and police impunity, amid growing protests over George Floyd’s death in the United States and other parts of the world.
Burkina Faso’s ambassador to the UN in Geneva wrote the letter on behalf of the 54 African countries, asking the UN’s top human rights body for an “urgent debate” on “racially inspired human rights violations, police brutality against people of African descent and the violence against the peaceful protests that call for these injustices to stop.”
Read more: As media watch US uprisings, EU has a racism problem, too
The letter requests for the debate to be held next week when the council’s 43rd session resumes, after being stalled by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The appeal comes after Floyd’s family, relatives of other victims of police brutality, and nearly 600 NGOs urged the council to urgently address the issue of systemic racism and police violence.
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Protests against racism, police brutality around the world
Washington, DC
One of the largest rallies in the United States was held in the capital, Washington, DC, where thousands of people of all colors took to the streets near the White House, which was barricaded with black metal grates.
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Protests against racism, police brutality around the world
New York City
Thousands of protesters in New York City gathered in the city’s squares and parks to demonstrate.
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Protests against racism, police brutality around the world
Berlin
People in the German capital sat in silent protest for 8 minutes and 46 seconds — the amount of time a white police officer kneeled on George Floyd’s neck before he lost consciousness as three other officers stood nearby.
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Protests against racism, police brutality around the world
Munich
Some 30,000 people assembled at Munich’s Königsplatz to show solidarity with other protesters and the Black Lives Matter movement.
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Protests against racism, police brutality around the world
St. Petersburg, Florida
People of St. Petersburg in the US state of Florida went out in the rain to make their voices heard.
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Protests against racism, police brutality around the world
Paris
Hundreds of people gathered in Paris defying a police ban on large protests. Members of the multiracial crowd chanted the name of Adama Traore, a black man whose death while in police custody has been likened by critics to Floyd’s death.
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Protests against racism, police brutality around the world
Manchester
Many protesters, including some of these in the English city of Manchester, wore protective face masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
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Protests against racism, police brutality around the world
Basel
Arond 5,000 people gathered in Basel, Switzerland, in a Black Lives Matter demonstration there.
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Protests against racism, police brutality around the world
Adelaide
Crowds filled Victoria Square in Adelaide after receiving special permission for the event. The march through the southern Australian city was held after police Commissioner Grant Stevens approved the rally on Friday. “This is a unique and extraordinary event. There is a sentiment that suggests people should have a right to protest on significant matters,” Stevens said.
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Protests against racism, police brutality around the world
Tunis
In Tunis, Tunisia, hundreds of protesters chanted: “We want justice! We want to breathe!”
For such a request to be considered by the council, it needs to be backed by at least one state.
With the call now coming from a large group of countries, “that increases the chances” it will take place, a council spokesperson told AFP.
George Floyd, a 46-year-old unarmed black man, died in police custody in the US city of Minneapolis on May 25 after a white officer kneeled Floyd’s neck for nearly 9 minutes.
The officer has since been charged with murder.
Read more: Racism in Germany ‘an issue for society as a whole’
“Sadly, the fates of many other victims attracted no attention, as they were not captured on social media for all to see,” Ambassador Dieudonne Desire Sougouri wrote in the letter to the council.
Floyd’s death, which was caught on video, has sparked unrest in the US and around the world.
“The protests the world is witnessing are a rejection of the fundamental racial inequality and discrimination that characterize life in the United States for black people, and other people of color,” the letter said.
Council President Elisabeth Tichy-Fisslberger is expected to announce a proposed day for the debate on Monday. Unless there are any objections, the debate is likely to go ahead.
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