Thousands of people have marched in cities across the UK to protest against the death of a black man restrained by police in Minneapolis, America.
Demonstrations were held in London and Manchester yesterday, Sunday, May 31, and were organised after George Floyd died when a white police officer held him down by pressing a knee into his neck for more than eight minutes.
The London protest started in Trafalgar Square around lunch time, where people chanted Mr Floyd’s name and knelt on the floor en masse, before heading to the US embassy in Battersea.
One demonstrator said the protests were “very important because it is sending a clear message that we have had enough racial injustice in our country”.
Isabelle Orsini, 20, is originally from New York, but now lives in London. She told the PA news agency: ”The US obviously has a much deeper and darker history of black discrimination compared to the UK.
“The reason people are so angry is because this is reopening wounds that go back hundreds of years.
“It is very important that we do whatever it takes to tell our government that racism will not be tolerated.”
In Manchester, hundreds of people also marched on Sunday in protest against Mr Floyd's death.
Protesters took to the city centre, marching along Market Street, St Ann's Square and Peter Street, chanting "black lives matter".
Those unable to attend the demonstrations were urged to kneel in solidarity wherever they could.
The UK demonstrations come after tens of thousands of people joined nightly protests across the US since Mr Floyd's death last Monday, with at least 1,600 people arrested in 22 cities as some demonstrations descended into violence.
There are peaceful protests planned this week across UK cities.
In Manchester there are planned protests on Saturday, June 6 in Piccadilly Garden.
There is also a protest planned in central London on Sunday, June 7.
In Birmingham, one has been organised for Thursday, June 4, and will begin in Victoria Square.
The UK Black Lives Matter official Twitter account has clarified it is not in any way affiliated with the protests.
A tweet reads: "We have no affiliation with the #LDNBLM group and any of the BLM London accounts. We are currently discussing the implications of calling a mass march in the middle of a pandemic that is killing us the most. Solidarity with our fam & siblings across the globe."
