A march in London turned violent when protesters brawled with police near the UK Prime Minister’s offices. It was held in solidarity with the US protests sparked by the death of a black man, George Floyd, at the hands of police.
The massive rally was held in the British capital on Wednesday, with thousands of protesters marching through London to condemn racism and police brutality.
As well as expressing their support for US protesters, many of those demonstrating vented their anger about domestic issues. In addition to calling out issues with UK law enforcement, many chanted derogatory slogans about Prime Minister Boris Johnson and President Donald Trump.
Although the march was largely peaceful, things got heated when the crowds approached the PM’s official residence and offices on Downing Street. The crowd demanded that the police officers guarding the government building take a knee to show their solidarity – and some did so.
A group of protesters can be seen on video mounting the police barrier and brawling with officers. Several people are reported to have been detained.
Another video shows demonstrators climbing on the Cenotaph – a monument that honors the dead of World War I – and spray-painting graffiti on a nearby building.
At about the time things got heated on Downing Street, Johnson was touching on the day’s hot topic during his daily virtual press briefing on the coronavirus situation.
“We mourn George Floyd, and I was appalled and sickened to see what happened to him,” Johnson stated. “My message to President Trump, to everybody in the United States, from the UK is that – and it’s an opinion I’m sure is shared by the overwhelming majority of people around the world – racism and racist violence has no place in our society.”
The situation escalated again, later, when a group of protesters confronted a Daily Mail crew. Footage from the scene shows the reporters being escorted away by the police, with several masked demonstrators following them and hurling insults.
The unrest in the US was triggered by the death of Floyd, an unarmed African American man who died while Minneapolis police were attempting to arrest him. Video of the incident, which quickly went viral last week, showed officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck while he was struggling to breathe. An autopsy revealed that his death was a homicide caused by asphyxiation. What started out as peaceful protests quickly turned to looting, arson and violence across the country.
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