George Floyd protests in Germany | |
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Part of George Floyd protests | |
Location | Germany |
Shortly after protests seeking justice for George Floyd, an African American who was murdered during a police arrest, began in the United States, the people of Germany also began to protest to show solidarity with the Americans. Many also called on the German police to address its own racist practices and use of violence. [1] [2]
People protested in over 40 cities and in all 16 states.
Most of the protests in Germany sparked by the murder of George Floyd were held on 6 June. On that day, in more than 30 cities the combined number of participants exceeded 100,000.[ citation needed ] In addition, 93 arrests made that day had been reported by the media, and at least two Black [lower-alpha 1] protestors had been sent to the hospital. The local Black Lives Matter movement claimed this was due to police brutality. [3]
Thousands of people protested in Berlin on 30 May. Many gathered in front of the US Embassy, chanting "black lives matter." [14] On 6 June, over 15,000 gathered at Alexanderplatz before its closure to new arrivals, joining in a protest that ended in mild violence and a currently unknown number of arrests. [15] [16]
On 5 June, around 4,500 people attended a protest outside the US Consulate along the banks of the Alster River. [20] Around 14,000 people peacefully protested on 6 June. Afterwards the police and a group of protesters clashed marginally together, up to 35 protesters were arrested. [21] [22]
A mural depicting Floyd was painted in Berlin's Mauerpark, on a section of the Berlin Wall, a day after the video of Floyd's murder spread on social media. [51] [50]
A mural depicting Floyd had also been painted at an underpass in Mannheim's Schlossgarten. [52] [53]
Chancellor Angela Merkel called the murder of George Floyd a "very very terrible thing", and also condemned racism as "something terrible". [54] [55] Merkel also noted that she tried "to bring people together, to seek reconciliation", but that US President Trump's "political style is a very controversial one". [55]
Foreign Minister Heiko Maas stated that "[t]he peaceful protests that we see in the US, involving many moving gestures, including by American police officers, are understandable and more than legitimate", adding that he hoped the protests had an impact and did not turn violent. [56] [57]
Borussia Mönchengladbach football player Marcus Thuram took a knee and bowed his head for a few seconds after scoring a goal. [51] His coach Marco Rose stated that Thuram's sign against racism was "one we all completely support of course". [51]
Borussia Dortmund football player Jadon Sancho removed his jersey after scoring a goal to reveal a shirt with the words "Justice For George Floyd" written on it. [51] [58] He received a yellow card for the move. [51]
While reporting from Minneapolis, Deutsche Welle's Stefan Simons and his crew were shot at by police in two separate incidents and threatened with arrest in a third incident. [59] [60] [56]
Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, who had been made aware of the incidents, stated that "[j]ournalists must be able to carry out their task, which is independent coverage of events, without endangering their safety". [56] He added that "[d]emocratic states under the rule of law have to meet the highest standards when it comes to protecting freedom of press", and criticized violence directed toward working journalists. [56] [57] [ non-primary source needed ]
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Shortly after protests seeking justice for George Floyd, an African American who was murdered during a police arrest, began in the United States, the people of Italy also began to protest to show solidarity with the Americans.
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