Black Lives Matter protesters have taken to the streets of London for the second day running in solidarity with those in the US over the death of George Floyd.
Hundreds of demonstrators were packed into Trafalgar Square on Sunday, chanting ‘I can’t breathe,’ the words Floyd was heard gasping as a white police officer knelt on his neck in Minneapolis.
Having spent the last few months in coronavirus lockdown, very few of the attendees appeared to be concerned about social distancing.
It comes as dozens of American cities have been set ablaze amid violent rioting with police officers over the death of Floyd on Monday.
People holds signs during a protest against the death in Minneapolis police custody of African-American man George Floyd, in Trafalgar Square, London, Britain
Men holds signs during a protest against the death in Minneapolis police custody of African-American man George Floyd, in Trafalgar Square
People holds signs during a protest against the death in Minneapolis police custody of African-American man George Floyd
Protesters holding signs telling people to ‘stay woke’
Pictured: A BLM flyer announcing protest dates in London against the killing of George Floyd
‘We are doing this to place pressure on the American government and show that this is a world wide issue,’ a banner from the event reads.
BLM were also protesting in southeast London yesterday, with hundreds marching through the streets of Peckham to demand justice.
Buses and cars were forced to a standstill with groups shouting ‘no justice, no peace’ and ‘stop killing the mandem.’
Further protests are planned by the BLM movement in Birmingham, Manchester, Cardiff and Glasgow, as well as the US Embassy in London.
Footage of another protest in North London on Saturday showed a smaller group of demonstrators marching and carrying a banner reading ‘abolish the police’.
Most of those attending both protests were seen standing closer together than the two-metre recommended to prevent the spread of coronavirus. Many could also be seen without face masks.
In Peckham, London, buses and cars were forced to a standstill on Saturday afternoon when hundreds of Black Lives Matter protesters furious at the Floyd’s slaying marched along the main road
People walked along Rye Lane, Peckham, in south London yesterday during a Black Lives Matter protest
Yesterday’s protests in Peckham (pictured) and North London were a precursor to a series of demonstrations planned for the next week across Britain by the BLM movement
Last night scenes of destruction continued to spread across the United States over outrage at what many believe is a systemic problem of police brutality against African-Americans.
In Minneapolis, protesters were seen fleeing after cops hurled tear gas into the crowds while some responded by launching fireworks back at officers.
The National Guard was activated to defend the White House from attack as the Secret Service agents on the ground struggled to keep control of crowds descending on the seat of the US government.
The Big Apple was ablaze as NYPD vehicles were torched and ransacked while shocking footage emerged of cops violently detaining protesters.
A man was left critically injured in Dallas when he was attacked and stomped on by a group of people when he allegedly tried to defend a store with a large sword.
In Atlanta a cop suffered ‘significant injuries’ when they were hit by an ATV, while in Chicago, a man commandeered a police horse and rode off on it.
Los Angeles deployed the National Guard for the first since the 1992 riots when the police officers who beat up black man Rodney King walked free of all charges and California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in LA County.
The killings reignited tensions between law enforcement and the black community in the US causing unrest across the country
New York: A New York City Police Department vehicle burns after being set alight by protesters
Chicago: A Chicago police vehicle is set on fire during violent protests and bricks are hurled at it
Minneapolis: Tear gas and fireworks go off in the streets Saturday night on day five of protests over Floyd’s death
A total of 11 states and the District of Columbia had activated the National Guard by the early hours of Sunday, as law enforcement buckled under the strain of the protests.
States calling for Guard assistance included California, Georgia, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Washington state.
Meanwhile at least 25 cities roll out emergency curfews to try to bring rioting and looting under control, including San Francisco, Atlanta, Louisville, Los Angeles, Portland, Columbia, South Carolina, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Seattle.
Washington DC: The National Guard was activated to defend the White House from attack as the Secret Service agents on the ground struggled to keep control of crowds descending on the seat of the US government
New York: NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio and President Trump clashed Saturday night over New York’s response to the escalating crisis there
New York: NYPD officers are poised with their batons after Trump praised their response – despite footage showing mutlipel scenes where cops manhandled protesters violently Friday
New York: A vehicle burns near New York’s Union Square Saturday night
Washington DC: Demonstrators gesture next to a fire during a rally near the White House
Washington DC: The seat of the government was under threat from protesters leading to the National Guard being activated in Washington DC
Washington DC: A firework is hurled by a protester and explodes by a police line
Donald Trump has put the Army on notice to deploy to the streets with a four-hour notice – the first time this will have been done in almost 20 years during the 1992 LA riots over the beating of black man Rodney King by cops.
Minnesota – where Floyd died – has borne the brunt of the protests which began there Tuesday before fanning out across the country.
Rioting was still going on in the early hours of Sunday, with the Minneapolis police department reporting a big group of protesters on foot and in vehicles throwing missiles of some sort at cops.
Minnesota Dept of Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell announced early Sunday there had been ‘dozens’ of arrests through the night but no ‘substantive’ injuries.