Seeking justice for George Floyd has expanded beyond the U.S. with thousands hitting the streets around the globe this weekend in protest against racism and police brutality, and in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.
Turning up to protests in the UK, New Zealand, Canada, and Germany over the weekend, thousands of people gathered in capital cities to demonstrate. Many held signs reading "Justice for George Floyd," and the words "I can't breathe," which were said repeatedly by Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, who died on May 25 after a white Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, pressed his knee against Floyd's neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds. Chauvin has been arrested and charged with murder.
Protests have taken place in at least 140 cities across the U.S. in the week since Floyd's death. Here's some glimpses of protests taking place around the globe, in solidarity with those protesting in America.
UK
Protests in London were held in Trafalgar Square and outside the U.S. embassy in Battersea. Black Lives Matter UK declared the protest both as a response to Floyd's death and the decision of British Transport Police not to take further action on the death of Victoria station worker Belly Mujinga, who died with COVID-19 after she was spat on by a man claiming to have coronavirus. Elsewhere in the UK, protests were held in Manchester and Cardiff.
New Zealand
Anti-racism protests took place in the New Zealand cities of Auckland, Christchurch, and Wellington. In the largest protest in Auckland, thousands marched from central Auckland's Aotea Square to the U.S. embassy. "The disease of state-based discrimination is not constrained to American borders," Green MP Golriz Ghahraman told the Guardian. “The death of George Floyd is being felt around the world, encapsulating raw injustice that comes from centuries of oppression. We must learn from his death and prioritise the work to eliminate systemic racism from our police and justice systems."
Germany
In Berlin, several hundred protesters staged a protest outside the U.S. embassy. A mural memorial for Floyd has been been painted by artist eme_freethinker at Mauerpark, a former part of the Berlin Wall. Soccer stars in Germany's Bundesliga pro football league also demonstrated during a matches on Saturday and Sunday — Weston McKennie wore "Justice 4 George" handwritten on his armband, Jadon Sancho and Achraf Hakimi wrote "Justice for George Floyd" their jerseys, and Marcus Thuram taking a knee between goals.
Canada
Protests were staged in downtown Montreal on Sunday. "It keeps happening and it's happening here in Montreal so to be here together is to show solidarity and denounce the injustice," event organiser Marie-Livia Beauge told CBC. Protests also happened in Toronto, where demonstrators also demanded justice for the death of Toronto resident Regis Korchinski-Paquet.
The 29-year-old died after falling from an apartment balcony, a moment which her family has accused police of having been involved.
Even if you're not in the U.S., you can read up on how to actively be anti-racist, and demand justice for George Floyd and support protesters from wherever you are in the world. Here's how.
