Hundreds of protesters gathered outside U.S. embassy in Warsaw on Thursday (June 4) to protest against racism and U.S. police violence. American citizen George Floyd died after a police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes, video footage showed, sparking outrage across the United States and beyond. Protests in the country have turned violent.
Demonstrators holding signs proclaiming "Black Lives Matter", "No justice, no peace" and "It's not white vs black. It's everyone vs racism" gathered for a few hours in the Polish capital to show support for George Floyd, a black man in Minneapolis who was killed by police.
The demonstration was peaceful, with protesters at one point lying face down on ground with hands on their necks. Images of a white police officer kneeling on the neck of Floyd, who then died, have sparked violent clashes between protesters and authorities in the United States. Anti-police-brutality activists have gathered by the thousands in support of the Black Lives Matter movement in various European and African cities.
Yet another flashpoint
Floyd's death has become the latest flashpoint for long-simmering rage over police brutality against African Americans, propelling the issue of racial justice to the top of the political agenda five months before the U.S. presidential election on November 3.
The spectacle of city streets flooded with angry though mostly peaceful protesters - punctuated by scenes of arson, looting and clashes with police - have fueled a sense of crisis.
The upheavals have flared following weeks of social lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has forced millions of Americans out of work and disproportionately affected minorities.
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, Reuters, PAP
Źródło zdjęcia głównego: Mateusz Szmelter / tvnwarszawa.pl