New York City will in turn be placed under curfew as of Monday, due to riots sparked by the death of George Floyd at the hands of police, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Governor Andrew Cuomo announced. .
“I spoke to (New York) Governor Andrew Cuomo and for the safety of all, we have decided to put in place a curfew for New York City tonight: it will come into effect at 11pm and will be lifted. at 5 am “, indicated in a tweet the mayor of the American economic capital, following in the footsteps of forty other cities having already taken this measure.
The mayor and governor, both Democrats, have also announced they will “Double the police presence” in the face of the demonstrations which have shaken the first American metropolis since Thursday evening.
The confrontations between demonstrators and police officers have multiplied, with burnt cars and looting of stores this weekend, in particular on the main artery of Broadway in Manhattan.
“The protests were generally calm. We cannot let violence undermine the message of this moment ”, said Bill de Blasio, quoted in a statement.
He also promised that the police would be “held accountable” in the event of further police brutality, and that the police chief would speak about it later in the day.
Governor Cuomo pointed out to him that there was “People who take advantage of this moment for personal profit”.
“The violence and the looting that has taken place are bad for the city, the state and all this movement, undermining and diverting from a just cause”, he insisted.
The announcement comes as new protests began, with around 1,000 people already gathered in Times Square by mid-afternoon Monday, pending further gatherings scheduled for late afternoon in the Brooklyn and Queens districts.
Some protesters, however, immediately declared their intention not to respect the curfew.
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