USA: Tens of thousands of protesters march against police violence in Washington

• Tens of thousands of people demonstrated at the Lincoln Memorial in the United States .
• They protested against racism and police violence.
• Exactly 57 years ago the civil rights activist Martin Luther King gave his famous speech “I Have a Dream” there.

Washington - Tens of thousands of people demonstrated against racism and police violence against black people in a protest march in the US capital Washington . Under the motto "Take your knee off our necks", the demonstrators gathered on Friday in front of the Lincoln Memorial - where exactly 57 years ago the civil rights activist Martin Luther King gave his famous speech "I Have a Dream" ("I have a dream" ) Had kept.

"One knee is pressing on the neck of democracy, and our nation can no longer live without the oxygen of freedom," said King's son Martin Luther King III on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall. He called for change in US society. “Rhetoric and marches” alone are not enough.

March on Washington // August 28, 2020 pic.twitter.com/0jF3hXYA8K

The march was organized after the death of the African American George Floyd * in a brutal police operation in Minneapolis in late May, the date chosen was the 57th anniversary of the King's speech. A white police officer had his knee behind Floyd for more than eight minutes, even though the 46-year-old complained more than 20 times that he could not breathe *.

The father's brutal death sparked protests against racism and police violence across the country. Floyd became a symbol of the Black Lives Matter movement * .

USA: Speeches by relatives of George Floyd and other African American victims

Relatives of Floyd and relatives of other African American victims of police violence gave speeches at the demonstration on Friday . "I wish George were here to see this," said Floyd's brother Philonise, who fought back tears throughout his speech. "My brother can't be a voice today," said Floyd's sister Bridgett. “We have to be that voice. We have to be the change. "

The father of Jacob Blake , who was seriously injured by seven police bullets in the back last Sunday in Kenosha, Wisconsin , also appeared at the rally. He complained that the United States had "two judicial systems" - one for whites and one for blacks. “Every black in the US will stand up. We're fed up. I'm sick of it."

Police violence against African Americans has been causing outrage in the US for years . There have been a number of headline incidents since the beginning of the year.

US election campaign: Critics accuse Trump of ignoring racism

The Black Lives Matter protests have long been a central theme of this year's presidential election campaign . For months now, President Donald Trump has been focusing on violent clashes that have repeatedly overshadowed the protests . The self-proclaimed "President of Law and Order" speaks of acts of "anarchists and looters" and calls for tough action by the security forces.

Critics accuse the right-wing populist of ignoring and belittling the underlying problem of racism in the country. In his nomination speech on Thursday evening, the president condemned, among other things, the riots in Kenosha after the police shots on Jacob Blake - but so far he has not said a word about the shots themselves.

His challenger Joe Biden of the opposition Democrats, on the other hand, had expressed understanding for the anger of African Americans in the country and promised to fight racism and police violence if he won the election . * Merkur.de and tz.de are part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editorial network.

List of rubric lists: © picture alliance / Carolyn Kaster / AP / dpa