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Global Anger Grows Over George Floyd’s Death Global Anger Grows Over George Floyd’s Death in Minneapolis
(32 minutes later)
In many parts of the world, the death of yet another black man at the hands of the police in the United States is setting off mass protests against police brutality and reviving concerns that America is abandoning its traditional role as a defender of human rights.In many parts of the world, the death of yet another black man at the hands of the police in the United States is setting off mass protests against police brutality and reviving concerns that America is abandoning its traditional role as a defender of human rights.
On the streets of London and Toronto, in halls of power in Addis Ababa and Beijing, a broad chorus of criticism has erupted alongside the unrest in the United States over the death of George Floyd. Mr. Floyd died last week after he was handcuffed and pinned to the ground by a white police officer in Minneapolis. On the streets of Berlin and Vancouver, in halls of power in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and Beijing, a chorus of criticism has erupted alongside the unrest in the United States over the death of George Floyd. Mr. Floyd, 46, died last week after he was handcuffed and pinned to the ground by a white police officer in Minneapolis. The officer who pressed his knee to Mr. Floyd’s neck has been charged with murder.
In Vancouver, thousands of demonstrators marched through the streets with signs reading, “Black Lives Matter.” In Berlin, newspapers published photos of Derek Chauvin, the former police officer charged in the death of Mr. Floyd, calling him “the killer-cop” who “set America ablaze.” In Lebanon, activists flooded social media sites with messages of support for protesters in the United States. Paired with the global anger at American police violence in some cities has been another demand: that lawmakers heed the signs of racism and police abuse in their own countries.
The widespread condemnation reflects growing unease about America’s rapidly eroding moral authority on the world stage. President Trump already faces criticism across the globe for his response to the coronavirus pandemic that has pushed the United States to relinquish its longtime role as a global leader in times of crisis. Even some of America’s closest allies have shown increasing opposition to his agenda. In London, thousands of demonstrators gathered around the moated United States Embassy in defiance of stay-at-home coronavirus restrictions and chanted Mr. Floyd’s name, “I can’t breathe” and “No justice, no peace,” before making their way to Grenfell Tower. The building was the site of a devastating fire in 2017 that killed many Arab, Muslim and African residents. On a memorial at the base of the tower, a protester wrote, “Black Lives Matter.”
In Toronto, calls to end American racism merged with outrage at the recent death of Regis Korchinski-Paquet, 29, a black woman who the police said fell from her balcony after officers arrived at her home in response to reports of a “domestic incident.”
And in Paris, among those calling for a demonstration was the family of Adama Traoré, a 24-year-old black man who died in custody in 2016 after being tackled and pinned down by the police in the Paris suburbs. La Vérité Pour Adama, or “the truth for Adama,” an advocacy group led by Mr. Traoré’s sister, Assa, said Mr. Floyd’s death was a chilling reminder of Mr. Traoré’s.
“How can one not think of Adama’s terrible suffering when he had three police officers on him and he was repeating, ‘I can’t breathe’,” the group wrote on Facebook last week. “His name was George Floyd, who just like Adama died because they were black.”
Beyond local instances of racism and police violence, the widespread condemnation also reflected growing unease about America’s rapidly eroding moral authority on the world stage. President Trump already faces criticism across the globe for a response to the coronavirus pandemic that has led the United States to relinquish its longtime role as a global leader in times of crisis.
The death of Mr. Floyd has brought protests to at least 140 American cities, turning many into tear gas-filled battlefields. Images of police officers and protesters engaged in heated street fights have spread swiftly across social media sites around the world, drawing furious comments and calls for action.The death of Mr. Floyd has brought protests to at least 140 American cities, turning many into tear gas-filled battlefields. Images of police officers and protesters engaged in heated street fights have spread swiftly across social media sites around the world, drawing furious comments and calls for action.
The tensions have also given American rivals an opportunity to deflect attention from their own problems. Just as American demonstrators have been pained in part by the disproportionate toll of the coronavirus on black and immigrant neighborhoods, so too have activists around the world taken note of the gaping inequities laid bare by the pandemic. In England and Wales, for example, black people are twice as likely to die from the virus as white people, even accounting for differences in class and in some underlying health measures.
In China, the state-run news media heavily featured reports about Mr. Floyd’s death and portrayed the protests as another sign of America’s decline. In Berlin, thousands of demonstrators held a peaceful protest outside of the U.S. Embassy on Saturday, some carrying signs that read, “Stop Killing Us,” and graffiti artists sprayed Mr. Floyd’s image on a remaining stretch of the wall that divided the city for decades during the Cold War. Two players in Germany’s top soccer league — the English forward Jadon Sancho and the French striker Marcus Thuram — made gestures of support after Mr. Floyd’s death as part of goal celebrations during matches on Sunday.
For America’s rivals, the tensions have provided an opportunity to deflect attention from their own problems.
In China, where officials have chafed at Mr. Trump’s criticism of they handled the coronavirus outbreak, the state-run news media heavily featured reports about Mr. Floyd’s death and portrayed the protests as another sign of America’s decline. The violent protests were covered extensively in the news media and on the social media platform Weibo. “BunkerBoy” became a trending topic after reports that Secret Service agents rushed Mr. Trump to a bunker on Friday night as hundreds of protesters gathered outside the White House.
Pierre Haski, a noted French journalist, commented on France Inter on Monday: “Beijing could not have hoped for a better gift. The country that designates China as the culprit of all evils is making headlines around the world with the urban riots.”
When an American official on Saturday attacked the ruling Communist Party on Twitter for moving to impose national security legislation to quash dissent in Hong Kong, a spokeswoman for the Chinese government fired back with a popular refrain among protesters in the United States.When an American official on Saturday attacked the ruling Communist Party on Twitter for moving to impose national security legislation to quash dissent in Hong Kong, a spokeswoman for the Chinese government fired back with a popular refrain among protesters in the United States.
“‘I can’t breathe,’ ” the spokeswoman, Hua Chunying, wrote on Twitter.“‘I can’t breathe,’ ” the spokeswoman, Hua Chunying, wrote on Twitter.
In Iran, Javad Zarif, the foreign minister, accused the United States of hypocrisy. He posted a doctored screenshot of a 2018 statement by American officials condemning Iran for corruption and injustice. In his version, the references to Iran were replaced with America.In Iran, Javad Zarif, the foreign minister, accused the United States of hypocrisy. He posted a doctored screenshot of a 2018 statement by American officials condemning Iran for corruption and injustice. In his version, the references to Iran were replaced with America.
“Some don’t think #BlackLivesMatter,” Mr. Zarif wrote on Twitter.“Some don’t think #BlackLivesMatter,” Mr. Zarif wrote on Twitter.
The head of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, said in a statement on Friday that Mr. Floyd’s death was a murder, and he criticized the “continuing discriminatory practices against Black citizens of the United States of America.”The head of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, said in a statement on Friday that Mr. Floyd’s death was a murder, and he criticized the “continuing discriminatory practices against Black citizens of the United States of America.”
After a weekend of protests in London, Jerusalem and elsewhere, activists around the world have vowed to continue to organize rallies and speak out about Mr. Floyd’s death in the coming days. In many places, demonstrators are taking direct aim at Mr. Trump and his policies. They are also raising concerns about police brutality in their own communities. Gilles Paris, Le Monde’s correspondent in Washington, wrote on Sunday that Mr. Trump was facing a “deadly spring” that has combined the Covid-19 crisis, record unemployment and the “resurgence of America’s racial demons.”
Holding signs and clapping their hands, hundreds of protesters gathered in Trafalgar Square in London on Sunday in defiance of stay-at-home restrictions in effect across Britain to fight the coronavirus. They chanted “I can’t breathe,” “black lives matter” and “no justice, no peace” before crossing the River Thames to march peacefully to the United States Embassy. Activists around the world vowed to continue to organize rallies and speak out about Mr. Floyd’s death in the coming days. In many places, demonstrators are taking direct aim at Mr. Trump and his policies and raising concerns about police brutality in their own communities. Many called for a protest on Amsterdam’s Central Dam Square later on Monday.
In Berlin, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the American Embassy, some holding signs saying, “stop killing us,” Reuters reported. The unrest in the United States also prompted activists abroad to offer advice to American demonstrators on how to keep the movement alive. In Lebanon, a group compiled a document titled “From Beirut to Minneapolis: A Protest Guide in Solidarity” as a way to document state abuses.
In Germany’s top soccer league, two players — the English forward Jadon Sancho and the French striker Marcus Thuram — made references to the killing of George Floyd as part of goal celebrations during matches on Sunday. In Chile, social media users warned American journalists to protect their eyes with visors, a chilling reminder that a bullet in the eye could be the price of protesting inequality in their country.
The unrest in the United States has prompted activists from around the world to offer advice to American demonstrators on how to keep the movement alive. In Lebanon, a group of activists compiled a document they titled “From Beirut to Minneapolis: A protest guide in solidarity” as a guide for documenting state abuses and escalating demonstrations. In Australia, where rallies protesting racism are planned for later this week, the images of unrest have reignited debate about the country’s own troubles with police brutality. Some quickly pointed out that more than 400 Indigenous Australians have died in police custody since 1991, without a single police officer convicted of abuse.
In Australia, where rallies protesting racism are planned for later this week, the images of unrest have reignited debate about the country’s own troubles with police brutality. The family of David Dungay, an Aboriginal man who said “I can’t breathe” 12 times before he died while being restrained by prison guards in 2015, also said that they had been traumatized by footage of Mr. Floyd’s death, prompting them to call for another investigation into Mr. Dungay’s death.
While some Australians expressed appreciation for living far from the United States and its problems with race, others quickly pointed out that more than 400 Indigenous Australians have died in police custody since 1991, without a single police officer convicted of abuse. With tensions rising, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday that while the video of Mr. Floyd’s death was upsetting and shocking, Australians should be careful not to adopt the destructive response seen in some American cities.
The hashtag #aboriginallivesmatter was trending on Twitter on Monday, with many Australians expressing outrage and sadness about both the death of Mr. Floyd and the racism in their own country. “There’s no need to import things happening in other countries here to Australia,” Mr. Morrison told a conservative radio station Monday morning. “I saw a good meme on the weekend,” he added. “Martin Luther King didn’t change anything by burning anything down or by looting any shops.”
The family of David Dungay, an Aboriginal man who said “I can’t breathe” 12 times before he died while being restrained by prison guards in 2015, also said this week that they had been traumatized by footage of Mr. Floyd’s death, prompting them to call for another investigation into Mr. Dungay’s death.
And with tensions rising, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Monday that while the video of Mr. Floyd’s death was upsetting and shocking, Australians should be careful not to adopt the destructive response seen in some American cities.
“There’s no need to import things happening in other countries here to Australia,” Mr. Morrison told a conservative radio station Monday morning.
“I saw a good meme on the weekend,” he added. “Martin Luther King didn’t change anything by burning anything down or by looting any shops.”
To which many Australians quickly responded: You don’t understand Dr. King.To which many Australians quickly responded: You don’t understand Dr. King.
“What is with all these white people quoting MLK who’ve not read anything of King’s beyond a meme or seen anything beyond a 30-second YouTube clip of ‘I Have a Dream,’” said Benjamin Law, an Asian-Australian writer and essayist, on Twitter. “What is with all these white people quoting MLK who’ve not read anything of King’s beyond a meme or seen anything beyond a 30-second YouTube clip of ‘I Have a Dream,’” Benjamin Law, an Asian-Australian writer and essayist, said on Twitter.
Damien Cave contributed reporting from Sydney, Australia, Vivian Yee from Beirut, Lebanon, and Elian Peltier from Paris. Albee Zhang contributed research. Reporting was contributed by Steven Erlanger from Brussels; Melissa Eddy from Berlin; Damien Cave from Sydney, Australia; Thomas Erdbrink from Amsterdam, Vivian Yee from Beirut, Lebanon; and Aurelien Breeden and Elian Peltier from Paris. Albee Zhang contributed research.