George Floyd protests: From UK to Australia, world unites to raise voice against racism

George Floyd’s death in custody of police in the United States happened last week triggering protests from the UK to Australia. With people taking a knee and yelling “silence is violence”, the demonstrations supporting the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement have united the world amid the coronavirus outbreak. While the outraged people are being advised by the governments to adhere to social distancing rules, thousands of people are flooding the streets in global rallies against racial biases that have long paralysed the minorities in various countries. 

From Asian to European countries, slogans of “we want justice, we want equality” have been echoing especially over the weekend. One of the speakers at a protest organised outside the parliament in London said, “It is time to burn down institutional racism”. United Nations has also called out on the US to systematically address the discrimination in the country based on skin colour. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has urged citizens to find a “better way” to voice their disagreement and cited the fear of a surge in COVID-19 cases. This is how the protests turned out across the globe, especially over the weekend.

America

The incident took place in Minnesota on May 25 when Floyd died with a police officer kneeling on his neck for more than eight minutes. Since then, major cities in the country have been rocked by protests which have even turned violent. This has further posed challenges for the administration to balance out the right of citizens to raise their voices against the system with the threat of novel coronavirus that has killed lakhs of people across the globe. From deploying curfews to calling on National Guard, the state governments have been trying their hands on battling the unrest. 

Recently, tens and thousands of people marched peacefully on June 6 for George Floyd’s memorial. According to reports, when considered collectively it was the largest one-day mobilization since the death of African American as many cities had lifted curfews that were imposed to combat the raging violence. Moreover, the largest demonstration in America happened in Washington where demonstrators outside the Capitol, on the streets led to the closing of traffic. 

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Read - Thousands In Washington For George Floyd Protest

Australia

While the protests have been ongoing for several days, recently, in a bid to dismiss the Black Lives Matter rally in Sydney, the police fired pepper spray on the protesters amid clashes between both sides on June 6. Even though authorities had raised concerns over demonstrations being organised amid coronavirus outbreak and feared a surge in cases, at least 30,000 people reportedly flooded the streets in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Hobart to stand up in support of the Indigenous Australians. While the rally in New South Wales was granted official permission just last minute, thousands had assembled on the streets. However, the situation according to Australian media outlets, became intense when most of the crowd was dismissed. 

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UK & Europe

Tens of thousands staged a rally outside the Parliament Square to remember Floyd’s memory among others who died in police encounters or discrimination in Britain. Despite the weather conditions, people came outdoors, wearing masks, carrying placards addressing the governments and calling for action. Many even kneeled with their fists in the air and chanted “Colour is not a crime”.

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While in Berlin at least 1,5000 people rallied to the German capital’s Alexander Square and yelled “stop police brutality”, several thousand people defied the protest ban in Paris and assembled near US Embassy.

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Read - Pompeo Blasts China Over 'callous Attempts' To Exploit George Floyd's Tragic Death

South Korea

For the second consecutive, protesters assembled to raise their voice against the tragic death of 46-year-old in the US. Dressed in black with face masks on, the demonstrators marched to the commercial district amid an escort by the South Korean police. They wished Floyd to ‘Rest In Peace’ and held signs that said, “Koreans for Black Lives Matter.”

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Read - US Mourners Arrive For George Floyd Memorial