Mega demonstration Black Lives Matters in Washington started Abroad

Those were the last words the black arrested George Floyd could utter when a white cop held his knee in the neck. He died.

“The crowd is getting bigger every minute,” said an NBC News reporter from Lafayette Square at the start of the demonstration. “Thousands gather for the White House.” It occasionally rains but “that doesn’t stop us,” protesters said.

The demonstrations continued for hours. Drums, drums and music were made in other ways. How many people eventually came to the protest has not yet been announced.

“A day before the history books”

Authorities had recently been preparing for “perhaps one of the biggest demonstrations ever” in the American city, as Peter Newsham, the chief of police there, slipped.

The Black Lives Matters organizers wanted to mobilize a million people, # 1MillionDCSaturday was launched on Twitter. Authorities expected those numbers to be impossible, but 200,000 people could just take to the streets, it was predicted.

Washington appears to have developed into the center of the protests, probably also because some of the anger is aimed at Donald Trump. The US President has condemned harsh police intervention on May 25 in Minneapolis that resulted in Floyd’s death, but he would certainly not distance himself enough from racism and show insufficient understanding for the prevailing anger about discrimination and injustice.

In other American cities, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia, people took to the streets to express their displeasure. The TV stations visualized this live.

On previous occasions, shortly after Floyd’s dramatic death, there were serious disturbances and shops looted, police cars burned, and numerous public facilities destroyed. In many states and cities, measures have now been relaxed, such as the imposition of a curfew, and the police have been instructed not to use unnecessarily heavy means and methods.

Germany

Thousands of people protested against racism and police brutality in several German cities on Saturday. In Munich, a total of about 25,000 people took to the streets, in Berlin 15,000. Most meetings went peacefully, but due to the massive turnout, there were also some skirmishes. In Berlin, stones and bottles were thrown at the police and bystanders.

In Hamburg, where 14,000 people participated, fireworks caused an unfriendly apotheosis. The remaining crowd was dispersed using a water cannon. Most protesters appeared on the scene in Munich. A demonstration of up to 200 people was announced at Königsplatz. Ultimately, 7000 people gathered in that square. The police repeatedly said that it was too busy and that protesters, mostly in dark clothes, did not keep enough distance. As the influx continued, the area where activists were allowed to have their say – “Black Lives Matter” – was expanded.

London

Protests also took place in other world cities, including Paris and London. Those manifestations hardly managed to keep their distance. Disagreements were also heard here and there due to misconduct.

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