Category Archives: George Floyd

US protests live: hundreds of thousands march against racial injustice

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Large crowds from coast to coast demonstrate against police killing of George Floyd

The top editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer has resigned following an uproar over a headline bemoaning property damage incurred during the ongoing protests decrying police brutality and racial injustice, the newspaper has announced.

Guardian US reporter Nina Lakhani reports from Harlem:

Hundreds of people prayed and protested in Harlem this afternoon, in a peaceful and hopeful mobilization characterized by dignity, anger, resistance, and determination.

“Get off our necks,” and “racism is America’s original sin,” were among the hard-hitting truths chanted by protesters as they marched uptown from the National Black Theatre, a historical and cultural landmark situated on the corner of 5th Avenue and West 125th Street. Pastors and other faith leaders gave rousing speeches outside the theatre and other iconic spots including the Schomburg Centre for research in black culture – an internationally renowned archive for information on people of African descent which is located on the corner of Lennox Avenue and West 135th Street.

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The George Floyd murder and Covid-19 have hurt Trump, but maybe not fatally

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The president’s approval ratings have dipped sharply but he could still beat Biden

Voter disapproval of Donald Trump’s handling of the George Floyd protests and the Covid-19 pandemic, plus the accompanying economic meltdown, have undoubtedly hurt the president’s re-election chances.

But it’s unclear whether the damage is fatal. Could Trump, despite everything, still stage a comeback and beat the Democratic nominee, Joe Biden?

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‘What I am thinking about’: African American US air force general reacts to Floyd protests – video

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Charles Quinton Brown Jr shares his thoughts on the events surrounding the killing of George Floyd.

The Pacific Air Forces commander said his nomination to serve as the first African American air force chief of staff created some hope, but was also a heavy burden

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In life and death, George Floyd’s plight reflected the burden of being black in America

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Floyd’s struggles resonate with many black Americans and the timing of his killing created a spark that lit this week’s uprising over centuries of racism

With a knee to his neck and head against the concrete, George Floyd became the face of one of the largest uprisings in modern American history.  His final moments at the hands of four Minneapolis police officers was replayed on social media and television all across a country that was already in crisis.

America is in an economic free fall as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. And it is black Americans who have been disproportionately impacted by mounting deaths and crushing job losses, making up a disproportionate number of the 42 million people left unemployed.

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In their own words: the protesters at the heart of America’s uprising

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The killing of George Floyd sparked protests across America. Here, those who have taken to the street in Minneapolis explain what moved them to action

It was a protest that sparked a wave of dissent across the country, culminating in something never seen before: Americans across all 50 states coming together to denounce police brutality and the culture of impunity that shrouds their institution.

Related: Detroit's largely peaceful protests seen very differently from white suburb

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Justin Trudeau takes a knee but is silent on reforms to policing

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Canadian PM attends Ottawa rally but would not be drawn on new policies to tackle racism

Justin Trudeau took a knee in solidarity with anti-racism demonstrators on Friday, but remained silent at the event as his government faces questions over how it plans to address police violence. 

Wearing a black mask and surrounded by bodyguards, the Canadian prime minister made a surprise appearance at the No justice = No peace rally in Ottawa.

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Justin Trudeau takes a knee at anti-racism protest in Ottawa – video

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Justin Trudeau took a knee in solidarity with demonstrators at an anti-racism protest in Ottawa on Friday. Wearing a black cloth mask, the Canadian prime minister kneeled after protesters asked him to. Trudeau said earlier this week that Canadians were watching what was unfolding in the US with horror and consternation, and he paused for 21 seconds when asked about Donald Trump and the use of teargas against protesters to clear the way for a photo opportunity

  • Justin Trudeau takes a knee at Ottawa anti-racism protest
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What the George Floyd protests say about America – video explainer

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Guardian US reporter Kenya Evelyn explains why the unrest sparked by the police killing of George Floyd could be a defining moment for racial politics in America, and how the coronavirus pandemic set the backdrop for the protests

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Donald Trump: ‘This is a great day’ for George Floyd – video

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Donald Trump has claimed it is a ‘great day’ for George Floyd, after the US posted better than expected job numbers. ‘Hopefully, George is looking down right now and saying: “This is a great thing happening for our country,”’ the US president said of Floyd, who died while being restrained by police last week

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‘We will not be silent’: protests head into second weekend after George Floyd’s killing – live

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After a day of protests across Australia, Guardian staff have compiled some of the most striking images.

Tens of thousands rallied in state capital cities and towns to march against Indigenous deaths in custody and the killing of George Floyd.

The nationwide anti-police brutality protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd in the US have been marked by widespread incidents of police violence, including punching, kicking, gassing, pepper-spraying and driving vehicles at often peaceful protesters in states across the country.

The actions have left thousands of protesters in jail and injured many others, leaving some with life-threatening injuries.

Related: Protests about police brutality are met with wave of police brutality across US

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Oxford students to get anti-bias training after George Floyd ‘joke’ at hustings

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Candidate for ‘cake rep’ sparks anger after comparing killing of black man to flour shortages

An Oxford college has ordered staff and students to undergo training to combat racial bias after an undergraduate made a “joke” drawing a comparison between protests over the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and flour shortages.

The comments, described as racist and trivialising by witnesses, were made during a virtual hustings event by a candidate for the position of “cake rep” – a welfare position on the junior common room committee at Christ Church college.

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New York Times says senator Tom Cotton’s op-ed did not meet editorial standards

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Newspaper drops initial defence of ‘Send in the troops’ opinion piece that called for Donald Trump to use military against protesters

The New York Times has issued a mea culpa over the paper’s decision to publish an op-ed by the Republican senator Tom Cotton entitled: “Send in the troops”.

The decision to run the piece, which advocated for the deployment of the military against protesters rallying against police brutality toward black Americans, drew widespread criticism. Dozens of Times journalists voiced their opposition, noting that inciting a heavy-handed response to the protests put black journalists, and people of color more broadly, in danger.

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Al Sharpton accuses Trump of using Bible as a prop during George Floyd eulogy – video

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The Rev Al Sharpton gave a eulogy at a memorial service for George Floyd in Minneapolis and hit out at Donald Trump for posing with a Bible in front of a church in Washington DC. 'We cannot use Bibles as a prop,' Sharpton said. 'For those that have agendas that are not about justice, this family will not let you use George as a prop.' The US president sparked outrage from religious leaders, top Democrats in Congress and others when he visited the church across from the White House and posed holding a Bible after law enforcement officers cleared protesters using teargas

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‘Get your knee off our necks’: Al Sharpton delivers eulogy at George Floyd memorial – video

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Delivering the eulogy at a memorial service for George Floyd in Minneapolis, the Reverend Al Sharpton said: 'George Floyd's story has been the story of black folks.' In an emotive speech punctuated by several standing ovations, Sharpton said the sight of diverse crowds of protesters across the world gave him hope that real change would come to the criminal justice system

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George Floyd memorial: lawyer says ‘pandemic of racism’ led to killing – live

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With protests over police brutality and the death of George Flloyd continuing around the US today, a short report from our voting rights editor on events this afternoon in Brooklyn, New York City:

Thousands of protestors converged on Brooklyn’s Cadman Plaza today for a memorial for George Floyd. The event was attended by Floyd’s brother, Terrence, who addressed the crowd with calls for solidarity and peaceful protest in memory of his brother.

Emotional and heartfelt speech from George’s Floyd’s brother Terrence today at the memorial in Cadman Plaza. #blacklivesmatter #powertothepeople #georgefloyd pic.twitter.com/UpE5J6euor

Rev Al Sharpton also used his eulogy at the memorial service for George Floyd to announce that, with the Floyd family, he would organise a march on Washington on 28 August to demand reform of the criminal justice system.

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‘Slide to illiberalism’: ex-general joins chorus of condemnation of Trump

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John Allen warns that politicisation of the military could be the beginning of the end of ‘the American experiment’

The retired marine general who led the global coalition against Isis and commanded US forces in Afghanistan has warned that Donald Trump’s actions this week could start a US “ slide into illiberalism” and the beginning of the end of “the American experiment”.

In denouncing the president for his response to the George Floyd protests, John Allen became the latest in a string of venerable military figures to have gone public over what they describe as the threat posed by Trump to the non-political nature of the armed forces, and more broadly to US democracy.

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Inside the George Floyd protests in New York: ‘we are not the problem’ – video

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The police killing of George Floyd continues to ignite protests across the US. On 2 June, the Guardian embedded with activists as they marched through New York City to voice their outrage at Floyd's death and the systematic racism that enabled it

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Can Joe Biden convince protesters he would be a ‘transformational’ president?

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‘It’s not enough to just be better than Trump’ Democratic hopeful told amid anti-racist uprising sparked by killing of George Floyd

Hours before peaceful protests against police brutality were forcibly dispersed so that Donald Trump could pose with a Bible in front of St John’s church, Joe Biden also went to church. 

Head bowed, Biden prayed with community leaders at Bethel African Methodist Episcopal church in his home town of Wilmington, Delaware. For days the nation had been convulsed over the killing of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man pinned under the knee of a white Minneapolis police officer for a fatal eight minutes and 46 seconds. 

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Meghan on George Floyd killing: ‘the only wrong thing to say is nothing’ – video

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In a video for a virtual graduation ceremony at her old high school in LA, the Duchess of Sussex recalled words of advice given by a teacher when she was 15, who said to her: 'Always remember to put another’s needs above your fears.' She told the graduating students: 'I am sorry that in a way we have not gotten the world to a place that you deserve it to be'

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New York Times under fire over op-ed urging Trump to ‘send in the troops’

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Decision to run opinion piece from Republican senator Tom Cotton sparks criticism from staff who say it puts people in danger

The New York Times’ decision to run an op-ed from the Republican senator Tom Cotton titled “Send in the troops” is drawing widespread criticism, including from Times staff.

In the piece, Cotton called for the use of US military troops to quell civil unrest, and indicated the president would be justified in doing so under the Insurrection Act of 1807.

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