Anti-racism protests spread to Berlin and London
Thousands of people took to the streets of the German and British capitals on Sunday to show support for protests in the United States over the killing of a black man by a white police officer.
The death of George Floyd sparked international outrage after a video circulated of him gasping for breath while a white police officer knelt on his neck in the city of Minneapolis.
In Berlin, several hundred protesters turned out for the second day in a row, staging a rally outside the US Embassy. Demonstrators held up signs reading: “Stop killing us” and “Justice for George Floyd.”
Read more: Opinion: America must wake up to the reality of racism
In Berlin’s famous Mauerpark, where street artists can paint sections of the former Berlin wall, a memorial to Flynn has now appeared.
A mural tribute to Floyd was painted by the Berlin artist eme_freethinker
Bundesliga stars taking a stand
Soccer stars in Germany’s Bundesliga also joined in on the protests on Sunday.
Borussia Dortmund player Jadon Sancho lifted his jersey after scoring a goal to reveal a T-shirt reading: “Justice for George Floyd.” He received a yellow card for the move.
Earlier, forward Marcus Thuram took a knee on the pitch after scoring during Borussia Monchengladbach’s win over Union Berlin. After scoring in the first half, Thuram dropped his knee to the ground and bowed his head, waiting several seconds before getting up again.
“He made a sign against racism, one we all completely support of course. I believe that everyone fully supports it, that everyone has the same thoughts he does,” Monchengladbach coach Marco Rose said.
Read more: Athletes deserve full freedom of expression
Kneeling in London
In London, thousands of people turned out in solidarity with US demonstrators, carrying signs reading: “No justice, no peace.”
The protesters knelt in Trafalgar Square before marching past the Houses of Parliament and stopping outside the US Embassy in London.
The Metropolitan police said they arrested five people outside the embassy — two for assault on police, the others for violating coronavirus lockdown guidelines.
The kneeling protests in London and during Bundesliga games are a reference to the style of peaceful protest used by Colin Kaepernick, a former San Francisco 49ers quarterback.
Kaepernick and others on NFL teams would kneel during the US national anthem to protest against police brutality and racism amid the Black Lives Matter Movement.
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In pictures: US protests over George Floyd, police killings rage in dozens of cities
‘I can’t breathe’
Tense protests over decades of police brutality against black people have quickly spread from Minneapolis to cities across the US. The protests began in the Midwestern city earlier this week, after a police officer handcuffed and pressed a knee on the neck of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, until he stopped breathing and died.
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In pictures: US protests over George Floyd, police killings rage in dozens of cities
From peaceful to violent
Protests were mostly peaceful on Saturday, though some became violent as the night wore on. In Washington, D.C., the National Guard was deployed outside the White House. At least one person died in shootings in downtown Indianapolis; police said no officers were involved. Officers were injured in Philadelphia, while in New York two NYPD vehicles lurched into a crowd, knocking people to the ground.
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In pictures: US protests over George Floyd, police killings rage in dozens of cities
Shops destroyed, looted
In Los Angeles, protesters faced off with officers with shouts of “Black Lives Matter!” as police confronted crowds with batons and rubber bullets. In some cities including LA, Atlanta, New York, Chicago and Minneapolis, protests have turned into riots, with people looting and destroying local shops and businesses.
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In pictures: US protests over George Floyd, police killings rage in dozens of cities
‘When the looting starts…’
President Donald Trump has threatened to send in the military to quell the protests, saying his “administration will stop mob violence and will stop it cold.” Trump’s response has inflamed tensions across the country. He blamed the rioting on alleged far-left groups, but Minnesota Governor Tim Walz told reporters he had heard multiple unconfirmed reports of white supremacists stoking the violence.
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In pictures: US protests over George Floyd, police killings rage in dozens of cities
Media in the crosshairs
Many journalists covering the protests have found themselves targeted by law enforcement. On Friday, CNN correspondent Omar Jimenez and his crew were arrested while covering the story in Minneapolis, and several reporters have been hit with projectiles or detained while on air. DW’s Stefan Simons was fired at by police as he prepared to go live on Saturday night.
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In pictures: US protests over George Floyd, police killings rage in dozens of cities
Going global
The protests have spread north of the border to Canada, with thousands marching in the streets of Vancouver and Toronto on Saturday. In Toronto, protesters also held signs to remember Regis Korchinski-Paquet, a black woman who fell from her high-rise apartment balcony while alone with police who had been called to her home on Wednesday.
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In pictures: US protests over George Floyd, police killings rage in dozens of cities
#GeorgeFloyd
Thousands of people also marched past the US Embassy in the German capital, Berlin, on Saturday to protest the killing of Floyd and speak out against systemic racism.
rs/mm (AP, Reuters)
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