Members of the public will be allowed to view George Floyd's coffin in his hometown of Houston, Texas, on Monday as global protests sparked by his death continued over the weekend.
On Sunday, demonstrators in Bristol tore down a statue of 17th century slave trader Edward Colston, while protesters in Belgium graffitied "shame" on a monument to King Leopold II, who presided over mass killings in Congo.
Isolated violent protests in London led UK prime minister Boris Johnson to say demonstrations there had been "subverted by thuggery".
In the US, Minneapolis lawmakers pledged to dismantle its police department, promising to create instead a new system of public safety, while New York mayor Bill de Blasio said he would cut the city's $6bn police budget and spend instead more on social services.
Follow Monday's latest developments using The Independent's live blog.
George Floyd's family asks UN to intervene in his case
George Floyd's family has appealed to the United Nations to intervene in his case and investigate his death at the hand of four former Minneapolis police officers, according to lawyer Benjamin Crump.
A letter dated 3 June was sent to UN Working Group on the Rights of People of African Descent. It urged to investigate Mr Floyd's death and encouraged the US government to press federal charges against the officers. The letter also had recommendations for police reforms the family was pushing for the UN to put its weight behind.
"Among the reforms requested were deescalating techniques, independent prosecutions and autopsies for every extrajudicial police killing in an effort to stop further human rights abuses including torture and extrajudicial killings of African Americans to protect their inherent and fundamental human right to life," the statement read.
The letter and full statement from the family here:
George Floyd's family has appealed to the United Nations to intervene in his case and investigate his death at the hand of four former Minneapolis police officers, according to lawyer Benjamin Crump.
A letter dated 3 June was sent to UN Working Group on the Rights of People of African Descent. It urged to investigate Mr Floyd's death and encouraged the US government to press federal charges against the officers. The letter also had recommendations for police reforms the family was pushing for the UN to put its weight behind.
"Among the reforms requested were deescalating techniques, independent prosecutions and autopsies for every extrajudicial police killing in an effort to stop further human rights abuses including torture and extrajudicial killings of African Americans to protect their inherent and fundamental human right to life," the statement read.
The letter and full statement from the family here:
Minneapolis mayor says he is not for 'completely abolishing the police department'
Jacob Frey appeared on ABC's Good Morning America to discuss the unrest in his city following the death of George Floyd.
Jacob Frey appeared on ABC's Good Morning America to discuss the unrest in his city following the death of George Floyd.
Calls to disband the Minneapolis Police Department, and others across the United States, have heightened in recent days from protesters.
The Minneapolis City Council voted towards dismantling the police department and creating police reform in the community. But Mr Frey was not in favour of the abolishment of the department.
"Let me be clear, I am for massive structural and transformational reform to an entire system that has not for generations worked for black and brown people." Mr Frey said. " We have failed them and we need to entirely reshape the system. We need a full on cultural shift in how our police department and departments throughout the country function. Am I for entirely abolishing the police department? No, I'm not."
Mr Frey said he would be working with the city council to come up with a solution that would provide police reform for the city and protect citizens.
Officer charged in death of George Floyd claims he 'did not stand by and watch'
The attorney for one of the former Minneapolis Police Department's officer's has defended his client by stating the man did not "stand by and watch" George Floyd die at the hand of his colleagues.
Earl Gray, who represents Thomas Lane, explained his client's defence when appearing on NBC's Today Show.
"He did not stand by and watch. He was holding the legs because they guy was resisting at first. Now, when he’s holding his legs he says to Chauvin, well should we roll him over? Because he says he can’t breathe. Chauvin says no," the attorney said.
Derek Chauvin was the officer who was videoed with his knee on Mr Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes. It was believed the man held seniority over the other officers in the situation.
Lane had been on the job for four days when the death happened. He now faces charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter along with the other two officers.
Chauvin faces second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter and will appear in court later today.
"He did not stand by and watch. He was holding the legs because they guy was resisting at first. Now, when he’s holding his legs he says to Chauvin, well should we roll him over? Because he says he can’t breathe. Chauvin says no," the attorney said.
Derek Chauvin was the officer who was videoed with his knee on Mr Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes. It was believed the man held seniority over the other officers in the situation.
Lane had been on the job for four days when the death happened. He now faces charges of aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter along with the other two officers.
Chauvin faces second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter and will appear in court later today.
Chauvin to appear in court two weeks after Floyd killing
Two weeks after George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis police custody sparked worldwide protests against systemic racism, the man charged with his murder, Derek Chauvin, will appear in court.
Chauvin is expected to make a virtual appearance on Monday afternoon before judges at Hennepin County Court in Minneapolis, who have charged the ex-cop with second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
The 44-year-old's face has now become synonymous with both institutionalised racism and excessive policing in the US, after he was videoed pinning George Floyd to the ground for almost 9 minutes whilst the unarmed black man pleaded “I can’t breathe”, and later died.
Read more:
Chauvin is expected to make a virtual appearance on Monday afternoon before judges at Hennepin County Court in Minneapolis, who have charged the ex-cop with second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.
The 44-year-old's face has now become synonymous with both institutionalised racism and excessive policing in the US, after he was videoed pinning George Floyd to the ground for almost 9 minutes whilst the unarmed black man pleaded “I can’t breathe”, and later died.
Read more:
Tory MP appears to defend 17th century slave trader
A Conservative MP has caused controversy by appearing to defend the actions of a 17th-century slave trader on social media.
Ben Bradley, the Tory MP for Mansfield, seemed to offer a defence of the slave trader Edward Colston in a tweet posted on Sunday.
Mr Bradley was responding to the toppling of a statue of Colston in Bristol by Black Lives Matter protesters on Sunday afternoon.
Read more:
A Conservative MP has caused controversy by appearing to defend the actions of a 17th-century slave trader on social media.
Ben Bradley, the Tory MP for Mansfield, seemed to offer a defence of the slave trader Edward Colston in a tweet posted on Sunday.
Mr Bradley was responding to the toppling of a statue of Colston in Bristol by Black Lives Matter protesters on Sunday afternoon.
Read more:
Lewis Hamilton addresses toppling of Bristol slave trader statue
Prevented from doing his day job by the coronavirus outbreak, Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton is standing out during the pandemic through his passionate campaigning against racial injustice.
The Mercedes driver took to Instagram on Monday in support of demonstrators who toppled a statue of a 17th-century slave trader in the English city of Bristol during one of the many global protests in the Black Lives Matter movement.
“All statues of racist men who made money from selling a human being should be torn down!” Hamilton wrote on the social-networking site. “Which one is next?”
In a later post to his 16.5 million followers, the Briton issued a challenge to governments worldwide “to make these changes and implement the peaceful removal of these racist symbols".
Hamilton was just as vocal last week following the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee on Floyd's neck even after he pleaded for air while lying handcuffed on the ground.
Hamilton said he has “felt so much anger sadness and disbelief in what my eyes have seen,” adding that “those of us who are black, brown or in between see it everyday and should not have to feel as though we were born guilty, don't belong, or fear for our lives based on the colour of our skin“.
Associated Press
Prevented from doing his day job by the coronavirus outbreak, Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton is standing out during the pandemic through his passionate campaigning against racial injustice.
The Mercedes driver took to Instagram on Monday in support of demonstrators who toppled a statue of a 17th-century slave trader in the English city of Bristol during one of the many global protests in the Black Lives Matter movement.
“All statues of racist men who made money from selling a human being should be torn down!” Hamilton wrote on the social-networking site. “Which one is next?”
In a later post to his 16.5 million followers, the Briton issued a challenge to governments worldwide “to make these changes and implement the peaceful removal of these racist symbols".
Hamilton was just as vocal last week following the death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee on Floyd's neck even after he pleaded for air while lying handcuffed on the ground.
Hamilton said he has “felt so much anger sadness and disbelief in what my eyes have seen,” adding that “those of us who are black, brown or in between see it everyday and should not have to feel as though we were born guilty, don't belong, or fear for our lives based on the colour of our skin“.
Associated Press
Donald Trump is claiming a new CNN presidential poll showing Joe Biden with a 14-point lead is "fake".
"Same numbers, and worse", against Hillary Clinton, he adds. In fact, CNN polls never showed Ms Clinton with a lead in 2016 as large as Mr Biden's now.
"Same numbers, and worse", against Hillary Clinton, he adds. In fact, CNN polls never showed Ms Clinton with a lead in 2016 as large as Mr Biden's now.
Donald Trump is attempting to position himself as the "law and order" candidate, despite his position as the incumbent president amid the protests.
He is also falsely attempting to cast the Democratic Party at large as in favour of abolishing police departments across the US.
He is also falsely attempting to cast the Democratic Party at large as in favour of abolishing police departments across the US.
US president Donald Trump has begun his day on Twitter by sarcastically praising Republican senator Mitt Romney for attending a Black Lives Matter protest.
Despite Mr Trump's claim, a recent poll shows support in Utah for Mr Romney is on the up - and higher than the latest polling there for Mr Trump himself.
Sean O'Grady: Yes, Churchill was a racist – but that’s only part of the truth
In the big scheme of things, it’s a minor piece of vandalism – but an unfortunate one as, quite unlike the defenestration of slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol, the wartime prime minister is an obviously revered national hero, writes Sean O'Grady after London protesters daubed graffiti on a statue of Winston Churchill.
The desecration of the monument is something that has upset and alienated some people from the worthy cause of Black Lives Matter protestors. Like the guy who tried to burn the union flag on the cenotaph, it was an act self-consciously designed to shock.
In the big scheme of things, it’s a minor piece of vandalism – but an unfortunate one as, quite unlike the defenestration of slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol, the wartime prime minister is an obviously revered national hero, writes Sean O'Grady after London protesters daubed graffiti on a statue of Winston Churchill.
The desecration of the monument is something that has upset and alienated some people from the worthy cause of Black Lives Matter protestors. Like the guy who tried to burn the union flag on the cenotaph, it was an act self-consciously designed to shock.
The allegation of racism was clearly done as a deliberate act of outrage, attention-seeking, a sort of punk politics, as when someone used a chunk of turf to give the old man a “Mohican” hairstyle in a previous wave of protests a few years ago.
Read more:
A statue of Confederate soldier John Castleman has just been removed by workers in Louisville, Kentucky. The 1913 statue has long been subject to calls for it to be taken down.
ABC News has tweeted footage of Sunday's protest in Los Angeles against police violence.
Former police officer charged with murder over Floyd death to make first court appearance
Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who has been charged with murder over the death of George Floyd, is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Monday afternoon.
Mr Chauvin has been in jail since his arrest on 29 May and last week saw a charge of second-degree murder added to his case.
He is accused of killing Mr Floyd by pressing his knee on the unarmed man's neck for almost nine minutes during an arrest last month.
Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer who has been charged with murder over the death of George Floyd, is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Monday afternoon.
Mr Chauvin has been in jail since his arrest on 29 May and last week saw a charge of second-degree murder added to his case.
He is accused of killing Mr Floyd by pressing his knee on the unarmed man's neck for almost nine minutes during an arrest last month.
Police chief defends decision not to intervene in statue protest
The chief constable of Avon and Somerset Police has backed officers who did not intervene when protesters pulled down a statue of slave trader Edward Colston on Sunday.
In a video statement posted on social media, Andy Marsh said his officers did not want to arrest suspects immediately because they did not want to spark a “very violent confrontation” between police and the protesters.
“We had deployed officers to respond to take appropriate action but the commanders on the ground made the decision not to intervene,” Mr Marsh said.
“To arrest suspects would likely lead to injuries to suspects, injuries to officers and people who were not involved in damaging property being thrown into a very violent confrontation with the police that could have had serious ramifications for the city of Bristol and beyond.”
He added: “Can you imagine scenes of police in Bristol fighting with protesters who were damaging the statue of a man who is reputed to have gathered much of his fortune through the slave trade?
“I think there would have been very serious implications and whilst I certainly do not condone crime or damage of any sort, I fully support the actions of my officers.
“They responded with common sense, sound judgment and in the best interest of public safety.”
You can find his full statement below:
German government calls on protesters to stick to social distancing rules
The German government has called on protesters attending anti-racism demonstrations to stick to coronavirus social distancing rules.
At least 15,000 people demonstrated in Berlin and 25,000 protested in Munich on Saturday as part of global demonstrations against racism and police brutality following the death of George Floyd.
In some cases, protesters were closely packed together despite requirements in the country for people to stay 1.5 metres apart from each other.
“It is good if people take to the streets in Germany as well with a clear statement against racism,” Steffen Seibert, a spokesperson for chancellor Angela Merkel, said.
However, he added: “The pictures that in some cases emerged over the weekend were not good. Both things must be possible: to demonstrate peacefully, which is a fundamental right, and keep to the (social distancing) rules.”
Piers Morgan criticises home secretary Priti Patel for calling toppling of statue ‘disgraceful’
Piers Morgan has called Priti Patel “tone deaf” after the home secretary criticised protesters who tore down a statue of slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol.
Ms Patel said the toppling of the statue was “utterly disgraceful” and suggested it had undermined the anti-racist demonstrations which were sparked by the death of George Floyd in the US.
However, Mr Morgan wrote on his Twitter account on Sunday evening: “Priti Patel thinks pulling down a slave trader’s statue ‘undermines’ racism protests.
“Have we ever had a more tone-deaf home secretary?”
Our reporter, Chiara Giordano, has the full story below:
'Tone deaf': Piers Morgan attacks Priti Patel for calling removal of Colston statue ‘unacceptable’
Monument of 17th-century slave trader thrown into harbour during anti-racism protestsHouston to hold six-hour public viewing of George Floyd’s coffin
Mourners will be allowed to view George Floyd’s coffin in his hometown of Houston, Texas, on the final stop of a series of memorials in his honour.
A six-hour viewing will be held on Monday at the Fountain of Praise church in southwest Houston, with the event open to the public so long as visitors wear a mask and gloves to comply with public health guidelines.
Mr Floyd’s funeral will be on Tuesday, followed by a burial at Houston Memorial Gardens cemetery in suburban Pearland, where he will be laid to rest next to his mother, Larcenia Floyd.
At a tribute in Minneapolis on Thursday, those in attendance stood in silence for eight minutes and 46 seconds, the length of time prosecutors say Mr Floyd was pinned to the ground under a police officer's knee before he died.
Mr Floyd was raised in Houston's Third Ward and was a well-known former high school American football player who rapped with local musician DJ Screw - he moved to Minneapolis several years ago.
Edward Colston statue was an ‘affront’, mayor of Bristol says
The mayor of Bristol has said the statue of Edward Colston which was torn down on Sunday was an “affront”.
Marvin Rees added that he felt no “sense of loss” when the bronze statue was pulled down and thrown into the city’s harbour but said it would be retrieved “at some point” and would likely be taken to a museum.
“I think circumstances came to a head and people felt the need to take the statue down,” Mr Rees said.
“I can't and won't pretend the statue of a slave trader in a city I was born and grew up in wasn't an affront to me and people like me.”
He added: “People in Bristol who don't want that statue in the middle of the city came together and it is my job to unite, hear those voices and hold those truths together for people for who that statue is a personal affront.”
Bristol harbour master checks for a navigational hazard after protesters throw Edward Colston statue into water.
A New CNN poll shows Donald Trump's approval rating plummeting following his handling of both the coronavirus pandemic and George Floyd protests.
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