Black Lives Matter protesters take the knee in London's Trafalgar Square in moving tribute to George Floyd

5 June 2020

Protesters have knelt in the shadow of Nelson’s Column, as protesters continue to march across London in the name of racial equality.

At lunchtime on Friday, Trafalgar Square was dotted with demonstrators wielding placards bearing George Floyd's name, along with the words “White People Must Do More” and “Black Lives Matter”.

The Londoners took to the knee in memory of Mr Floyd and as a broader sign of protest against acts of police brutality.

The gesture started in 2016 when American Football Player Colin Kaepernick knelt during the national anthem, refusing to “show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses people of colour.”

Those gathered in central London following a week of heated Black Lives Matter (BLM) marches across the city and the world, described the scene as "silent", "moving" and "socially distanced."

Trafalgar Square Kneeling Protest - In pictures

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One Twitter user shared pictures of the gathering, writing: "I kneel because our lives matter" the voice of a demonstrator at Trafalgar Square as students gather in solidarity for the #BlackLivesMatter movement.

"It's peaceful. And moving."

While CNN journalist Nic Robertson tweeted: "Small gathering so far - and socially distanced."

It comes after a senior Metropolitan Police officer warned that future mass protests would be "unlawful".

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “The health protection regulations are really clear that it is unlawful.

“The Government said that for health reasons people should not be meeting in groups of six, so we would strongly encourage people not to come out and gather in these large numbers because they are putting themselves and others at risk.

“And if they do come out, then we would ask them to observe that social distancing, think about those around them.”

Crowds have gathered in London, Birmingham and other UK cities since the end of May in protest at the killing of Mr Floyd, 46.

The unarmed black man died in Minneapolis, Minnesota, after a white officer held him down by pressing a knee into his neck for almost 10 minutes.

It sparked days of protest in the US and (BLM) demonstrations across the world.

Michael Lockwood, director general of the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which oversees complaints made against forces in England and Wales, has urged officers to listen to ethnic minority communities.

Writing in The Independent, he said: “Right now, communities in the UK are expressing real and growing concerns about disproportionality.

“Only two weeks ago we highlighted increasing community concerns about the use of Taser.

“We are also hearing concerns about stop and search and, most recently, fines issued during lockdown being disproportionate to black people.

“There must be more research to understand issues of disproportionality, as well as assurance and scrutiny around tactics like use of force and stop and search.”

On Wednesday, pockets of protesters clashed with police as thousands of people flooded into central London for a BLM march.

After a largely peaceful demonstration in Hyde Park, during which Star Wars actor John Boyega gave an impassioned speech, tensions later escalated outside Downing Street.

Demonstrations across the US have included clashes between police and protesters, with officers recorded firing tear gas and rubber bullets on crowds.

At a memorial to Mr Floyd in Minneapolis on Thursday night, US civil rights leader the Rev Al Sharpton said he was more “hopeful today than ever” about the fight against racism after seeing marches in London and Germany.

Citing the Bible, he said: “I’m more hopeful today than ever. Why? Well let me go back. Reverend Jackson always taught me stay on your text, go back to your text Ecclesiastes – there is a time and a season.

“And when I looked this time, and saw marches where in some cases young whites outnumbered the blacks marching, I know that it’s a different time and a different season.

“When I looked and saw people in Germany marching for George Floyd, it’s a different time and a different season.

"When they went in front of the Parliament in London, England, and said it’s a different time and a different season, I’ve come to tell you America, this is the time of building with accountability in the criminal justice system.”

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