-Say his name. George Floyd.
Say his name. George Floyd.
-Black lives matter!
-We are a physical representation of our support
for George Floyd.
-Black lives matter! -He did what?
-Daddy changed the world. -Daddy changed the world.
-Thousands of people around the world
have gathered to protest the death of George Floyd,
including here in Berlin, the German capital,
where artists spray painted this mural.
George Floyd died after police officers
knelt on his back and neck for several minutes.
And some of Floyd's last words, "I can't breathe,"
are now being carried
and chanted by protestors around the world.
-I can't breathe! -I can't breathe.
I can't breathe.
-In New Zealand, large crowds peacefully took to their knees.
In Europe, soccer players defied strict rules
to show solidarity too.
Concerns over safety almost canceled rallies
in Sydney and Belgium,
but the rallies ended up going ahead peacefully there.
-What about justice?
-Meanwhile, in Paris, peaceful protests
were overshadowed by riot police firing tear gas on protesters.
Activists threw debris and set fires during the demonstration,
which was unauthorized due to coronavirus restrictions
to ban public gatherings of more than 10 people.
The responses from foreign leaders
to Trump's handling of the protests have also varied.
When Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
was asked about it,
he initially responded with a prolonged silence.
-Uh. -Before saying --
-We all watch in horror
and consternation what's going on in the United States.
-Germany's foreign minister called the protests legitimate,
which German chancellor Angela Merkel condemned
the killing of George Floyd by saying, "It is racism.
We also know something like racism in our country,
and therefore, we also have our hands full."
And Pope Francis said that we cannot tolerate
or turn a blind eye to racism.
Meanwhile, in China, officials have used the protests
as an opportunity to accuse the US of a double standard
when it comes to the handling of protesters.
-How concerned are you about a violent crackdown
by the Chinese in Hong Kong?
-Well, I am concerned.
I wouldn't want to see a violent crackdown.
I really would like to see China in a humane way
solve the problem in Hong Kong.
If a city or state refuses to take the actions
that are necessary to defend the life
and property of their residents,
then I will deploy the United States military
and quickly solve the problem for them.
[people screaming]
-All I ask for is reform, brother, reform!
Is that too much to ask for? Please, tell me.
-But why are the demands of the US Black Lives Matter
movement resonating in so many other places around the world?
-Sheku Bayoh. -Say his name!
-Joy Gardner. -Say her name!
-Charles de Menezes. -Say his name!
-What we've learned from the various demonstrations
is that many protesters share with Americans
the same anger and frustration over racial injustice
in their own countries.
Here is one voice from Brazil.
-We are here today because we want to live.
We are here today because we are tired of this genocidal state.
We are here to say no more, no more!
-I want the end of the military police.
Brazil's black communities say
the country's poorest neighborhoods
are the sites of frequent police brutality.
Last month, 14-year-old Joao Pedro Pinto
became the latest victim of what activists say
is indiscriminate state violence.
Last year, police killed over 1,800 people in Rio alone,
the highest death toll since records began in the late '90s.
Both in Brazil and the United States,
police officers fatally shoot more people in a week
than many other countries do in a year on average.
-Hands up. Don't shoot.
-But even in countries that don't have the same shocking
numbers, high-profile cases have sparked accusations
of systematic injustice in the past.
-In Australia, protesters this week
referenced the death of David Dungay,
an aboriginal man who died in jail in 2015.
He died after saying, "I can't breathe" 12 times.
Meanwhile, in France, the death of Adama Traoré
in police custody four years ago
was still on the minds of many protesters this week, too.
What's different now is that anger over systematic
racial injustice has met outrage over a US president
who, to many abroad, symbolizes that system.
Here in Germany, over the last few days,
a number of major newspapers have called
President Trump a racist, and on the streets,
that criticism sounded even harsher.
-No Trump, no KKK, no racist USA.
No Trump, no KKK, no racist USA.
-And with more protests planned over the next coming weeks,
this is a message that is unlikely to disappear
from the streets anytime soon,
especially with US elections coming up in a few months.