Statues of Imperialist Figures Targeted in UK, France
PARIS (Kayhan Intl.) - Police fired tear gas at protesters on Saturday in central Paris, where several thousands people denounced police violence in an anti-racism protest as a wave of anger continued to sweep the world following the death of African American George Floyd.
The protesters chanted "No justice, no peace” and some climbed the statue of Marianne, who personifies the French Republic, in the Place de la Republique.
The outrage generated by Floyd’s death in Minneapolis last month has resonated in France, in particular in deprived city suburbs where rights groups say that accusations of brutal treatment by French police of residents of often immigrant background remain largely unaddressed.
Assa Traore, sister of 24-year-old Adama Traore, who died near Paris in 2016 after police detained him, addressed the protest.
"The death of George Floyd has a strong echo in the death in France of my little brother,” she said. "What’s happening in the United States is happening in France. Our brothers are dying.”
Traore’s family say he was asphyxiated when three officers held him down with the weight of their bodies. Authorities say the cause of his death is unclear.
A final report released last month cleared three officers of wrongdoing, triggering renewed protests. This week, the government banned chokeholds in France.
One banner carried by the crowd in the Place de la Republique read: "I hope I don’t get killed for being black today”. Another carried a message for the government: "If you sow injustice, you reap a revolt.”
Interior Minister Christophe Castaner earlier this week acknowledged there were "proven suspicions of racism” within French law enforcement agencies.
Protests took place in other countries on Saturday, including in several Australian cities, Taipei, Zurich and London.
Anti-racism protesters rallied again around Britain, with scuffles breaking out in London as counter-demonstrators also came out to protect monuments targeted for their links to colonial history.
Statues of historical figures including Winston Churchill - Britain’s World War Two leader whom protesters call a xenophobe - were boarded up to try and minimize trouble.
In Trafalgar Square, police separated two groups of about 100 people each, one chanting "Black Lives Matter”, the other racial slurs. Some groups jostled, tossed bottles and cans, and set off fireworks, as riot police with dogs and horses lined up.
Demonstrations have been taking place around the world over the death of African American George Floyd in Minneapolis after a white policeman knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.
In Britain, debate is raging over monuments to those involved in the nation’s imperialist past, especially after the statue of slave trader Edward Colston was torn down and thrown into the harbor of Bristol port last weekend.
Police said on Saturday that some people were bringing weapons to the London rallies. They imposed route restrictions on both groups and said rallies must end by 5 p.m. (1600 GMT).
Anti-racism protesters also gathered at Hyde Park, holding Black Lives Matter placards, even though organizers had told them not to attend fearing clashes.
Hundreds also attended rallies in other English cities, many donning masks due to the coronavirus pandemic. "To Be Black Is Not A Crime,” read one placard at a rally in Reading.
In Prague, hundreds rallied for the second straight Saturday in support of the protests in the United States against police violence and racism.
In a noisy but peaceful rally amid occasional showers, the protesters were marching through the Little Quarter district of the Czech capital, chanting "Black Lives Matter,” "No Justice No Peace” and "No Trump, No KKK, No fascist U.S.A.”
Many protesters condemned all forms of racism in the U.S., the Czech Republic and elsewhere.
They displayed banners that read "Together Against Racism,” "Stop Police Violence” and "All Lives Don’t Matter Until Black Lives Matter.”
The rally was organized by an informal group of Americans living in Prague, along with several Czech groups. At the end, they observed a minute of silence in front of the U.S. Embassy.
The protesters chanted "No justice, no peace” and some climbed the statue of Marianne, who personifies the French Republic, in the Place de la Republique.
The outrage generated by Floyd’s death in Minneapolis last month has resonated in France, in particular in deprived city suburbs where rights groups say that accusations of brutal treatment by French police of residents of often immigrant background remain largely unaddressed.
Assa Traore, sister of 24-year-old Adama Traore, who died near Paris in 2016 after police detained him, addressed the protest.
"The death of George Floyd has a strong echo in the death in France of my little brother,” she said. "What’s happening in the United States is happening in France. Our brothers are dying.”
Traore’s family say he was asphyxiated when three officers held him down with the weight of their bodies. Authorities say the cause of his death is unclear.
A final report released last month cleared three officers of wrongdoing, triggering renewed protests. This week, the government banned chokeholds in France.
One banner carried by the crowd in the Place de la Republique read: "I hope I don’t get killed for being black today”. Another carried a message for the government: "If you sow injustice, you reap a revolt.”
Interior Minister Christophe Castaner earlier this week acknowledged there were "proven suspicions of racism” within French law enforcement agencies.
Protests took place in other countries on Saturday, including in several Australian cities, Taipei, Zurich and London.
Anti-racism protesters rallied again around Britain, with scuffles breaking out in London as counter-demonstrators also came out to protect monuments targeted for their links to colonial history.
Statues of historical figures including Winston Churchill - Britain’s World War Two leader whom protesters call a xenophobe - were boarded up to try and minimize trouble.
In Trafalgar Square, police separated two groups of about 100 people each, one chanting "Black Lives Matter”, the other racial slurs. Some groups jostled, tossed bottles and cans, and set off fireworks, as riot police with dogs and horses lined up.
Demonstrations have been taking place around the world over the death of African American George Floyd in Minneapolis after a white policeman knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.
In Britain, debate is raging over monuments to those involved in the nation’s imperialist past, especially after the statue of slave trader Edward Colston was torn down and thrown into the harbor of Bristol port last weekend.
Police said on Saturday that some people were bringing weapons to the London rallies. They imposed route restrictions on both groups and said rallies must end by 5 p.m. (1600 GMT).
Anti-racism protesters also gathered at Hyde Park, holding Black Lives Matter placards, even though organizers had told them not to attend fearing clashes.
Hundreds also attended rallies in other English cities, many donning masks due to the coronavirus pandemic. "To Be Black Is Not A Crime,” read one placard at a rally in Reading.
In Prague, hundreds rallied for the second straight Saturday in support of the protests in the United States against police violence and racism.
In a noisy but peaceful rally amid occasional showers, the protesters were marching through the Little Quarter district of the Czech capital, chanting "Black Lives Matter,” "No Justice No Peace” and "No Trump, No KKK, No fascist U.S.A.”
Many protesters condemned all forms of racism in the U.S., the Czech Republic and elsewhere.
They displayed banners that read "Together Against Racism,” "Stop Police Violence” and "All Lives Don’t Matter Until Black Lives Matter.”
The rally was organized by an informal group of Americans living in Prague, along with several Czech groups. At the end, they observed a minute of silence in front of the U.S. Embassy.
No comments:
Post a Comment