Giant demonstrations against racism and police violence took place yesterday in major American cities. In Minneapolis, the city where the black George Floyd was killed on May 25, the demonstrators did not take off. This is the eleventh day of gathering in a row. But the mobilization is massive throughout the country, from Washington to Los Angeles, from New York to Houston.
In Washington, police chief Peter Newsham expected a record number of protesters: "Everything suggests that it will be one of the biggest demonstrations that we have ever had in the city. The White House has become a fortress. The police, but also special units of the American army, and elements of the National Guard have invested the city, transforming the capital into a veritable entrenched camp, to the chagrin of the mayor of the capital Muriel Bowser, who paint "Black Lives Matter" in giant letters on the street outside the White House. The presence of massively deployed law enforcement officials could heighten tensions, she said in substance. At the beginning of the afternoon, the atmosphere seemed good-natured, almost family-oriented, but determined, many demonstrators holding up signs reminiscent of Martin Luther King.
#BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/OQg6977n5r
- Muriel Bowser (@MurielBowser) June 5, 2020In New York, which has been under curfew since the beginning of the week, tensions rose at the start of the afternoon. All of the personnel have been deployed. Protests were held in Manhattan, of course, but large processions were planned in every other district, from the Bronx to Queens and even Staten Island, the quietest of the districts, the only one to have voted for Trump in 2016.
In Manhattan, at the end of the morning, helicopters flew over Union Square. One of the processions started from there and ended in Central Park, in a surreal setting, most of the stores having been protected with large plaques. From time to time, small groups escaped from the main procession, closely watched by the police.
What do the protesters want? The immediate objective is the end of police violence. Minneapolis has already prohibited its police force the most brutal police actions, including the "restricted carotid", the city of Seattle has prohibited the use of certain types of tear gas and the mayor of New York has promised increased surveillance of law enforcement tactics. But since the serious riots in Los Angeles in 1992, progress has been nonexistent, denounced a Californian collective last week.
"Racism in America is like dust in the air"
Beyond the brutality of the police, it is the questioning of systemic racism, the same racism denounced by Luther King more than 60 years ago, which drives the demonstrators.
Newsletter - Essential news
Every morning, the news seen by Le ParisienI'm registering
Your email address is collected by Le Parisien to allow you to receive our news and commercial offers. Find out more
"Racism in America is like dust in the air," Kareem Abdul-Jabbar recently wrote in the "Los Angeles Times", one of the legends of American basketball, he seems invisible, even if he it suffocates you, as long as you don't let the sun penetrate. If we let this light shine, then we can hope to clean it. "
In unison with the United States, tens of thousands of people around the world rallied to express their outrage. In Sydney, Australia, nearly 20,000 people paraded. And demonstrations have been organized all over the country, where this affair finds many echoes, especially in relation to the Aborigines.
In London, but also in Manchester, thousands of people across the United Kingdom ignored the distancing instructions to counter the coronavirus. In Germany too, where 10,000 people gathered on Alexanderplatz in Berlin. Even the Bayern Munich players showed their solidarity by warming up yesterday with a t-shirt bearing the inscription "Red card against racism". In the central square of Turin, eight minutes of silence were observed. While in Tunis, 200 people claimed to be able to “breathe” in the face of racism. Even the very wise Switzerland mobilized with 5,000 people on the streets of Basel. Never seen.