George Floyd protests summary 4 June | Minneapolis, US riots, reactions, Trump, Anonymous...
George Floyd death sparks protests in US: latest updates, Thursday 4 June
Kanye West launches college fund for George Floyd's daughter
It's been revealed that Kanye West has made donations totalling $2 million to charities associated with Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd and has set up a college fund to cover tuition for Floyd’s 6-year-old daughter Gianna. The rapper has pledged to cover legal costs for both the Arbery and Taylor families.
Breonna Taylor's birthday coincides with the protests after another unarmed black person was killed in the United States.
George Floyd Memorial Service: as it happened
“We were smarter than the underfunded schools you put us in,” Al Sharpton said. “But you had your knee on our neck. We could run corporations and not hustle in the streets, but you had your knee on our neck. We had creative skills, we could do whatever anybody else could do. But we couldn’t get your knee off our neck.”
Photos from last night's memorial as George Floyd's life was remember with a backdrop of protest and unrest in the United States.
George Floyd's brother, Terrence Floyd, spoke last night at his brother's memorial and said he is proud of the protests but he is not proud of the destruction being caused in some areas.
If you've ever seen the movie Fargo you will know what 'Minnesota nice' looks and sounds like. It is the 'stereotypical behavior of people from Minnesota to be courteous, reserved, and mild-mannered' but that has not been the case during the George Floyd protests. It is the epicenter of a war on racism that is raging across the United States. Minnesotans are angry and it seems to be having a massive effect on America's conscience.
Buffalo police officers suspended over pushing elderly man
Video emerged of the 75-year-old being pushed backwards by polive and laying unconscious. The video has been referred to as 'disgraceful' and 'disheartening'
Another police killing, in Vallejo
Sean Monterrosa, a San Francisco resident, was shot and killed by police on Monday night in the city of Vallejo, amid the protest over the death of George Floyd. The death of Monterrosa has sparked intense outrage. The 22-year-old was on his knees with his hands in the air when he was shot. The officer claimed he thought the victim had a gun. He didn’t.
Protesters leave items in memory of George Floyd at the scene of his death in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Thursday. (Photo: REUTERS/Adam Bettcher)
ACLU sues Trump administration over White House protests response
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is suing the Trump administration for allegedly violating the civil rights of protesters outside the White House, by using chemical agents such as smoke bombs to clear the people out of the way and allow President Donald Trump to walk to a nearby church.
Trump’s wall to stay up till June 10
The fence built around the White House will stay in place through 10 June, according to the Secret Service. Protesters had gathered outside the building, although they were dispersed using tear gas on 1 June in order for President Trump to take a photo at a nearby church. The protesters have now returned.
People gather outside Trask Worship Center following Thursday's memorial service for George Floyd at North Central University in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images/AFP)
Terrence Floyd speaks at Brooklyn memorial
Here is the speech given by George Floyd's brother Terrence at a memorial service in Brooklyn today.
"America get your knee of our necks"
Reverend Al Sharpton's eulogy at Thursday's memorial service for George Floyd saw him tell America: "Take your knee off our neck. We don't want no favours, just get up off of us, and we can be and do whatever we can."
Reverend Al Sharpton leads a moment of silence during Thursday's memorial service for George Floyd in Minneapolis. (Photo by: REUTERS/Nicholas Pfosi)
Mourners hold 8:46 silence at memorial
As part of the memorial service for George Floyd in Minneapolis, mourners were asked by Reverend Al Sharpton to observe a silence lasting eight minutes and 46 seconds, representing the amount of time that former police officer Derek Chauvin's knee was on the 46-year-old's neck.
Minneapolis memorial packed inside and out
Large crowds of people have gathered outside the North Central University building where George Floyd's memorial service is taking place in Minneapolis, listening to the event on loud speakers.
George Floyd's daughter: "Daddy changed the world"
"Daddy changed the world"
Sitting on the shoulders of former NBA player Stephen Jackson, George Floyd's daughter Gianna had this moving message for her father:
George Floyd's death: what charges are other police officers facing?
All four officers now charged
And the charges against Derek Chauvin, who knelt on George Floyd's neck for nearly nine minutes, have been increased.
Floyd brother attends memorial in Brooklyn
Terrence Floyd (centre), George Floyd's brother, attends a memorial service in Brooklyn on Thursday. (Photo by: REUTERS/Jeenah Moon)
Republican senator unsure on Trump support over George Floyd response
Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski has said she is "struggling" with whether or not to support Donald Trump’s bid for re-election, describing ex-defence secretary James Mattis’ criticism of the US president’s response to the George Floyd protests as "true, honest, necessary and overdue".
Don't trust everything you see on the internet
This video has been seen millions of times, but no, it's not an FBI agent and it's not from just now. It does show the police making what looks like a racial profiling mistake though. Snopes is so good, and so needed.
George Floyd memorial in Brooklyn
A memorial service for George Floyd, scheduled for 13:00 ET, is about to get underway at Cadman Plaza Park in Brooklyn. At 14:00 ET, Reverend Al Sharpton and the family's lawyer, Benjamin Crump, are due to speak at another service in Minneapolis.
Rev Al Sharpton: "I can see sun beginning to rise on new day of policing"
Reverend Al Sharpton, who is to give the eulogy at a memorial service for George Floyd in Minnesota today, has sounded a note of optimism ahead of the event, which takes place at 14:00 ET (20:00 CEST).
"I am more hopeful than ever that we are on the brink of real change," said Sharpton. "I can see the sun beginning to rise on a new day of policing."
'Violence provokes violence', Mandela Foundation says in support of U.S. protests
South Africa's Nelson Mandela Foundation said on Thursday violence can be a rational response to racism and for some communities is the only way to elicit change, as protests raged across the United States over the death of George Floyd.
Floyd died after a police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes, video footage showed, sparking outrage across the United States and beyond. Protests in the country have turned violent.
The foundation, set up to guard the legacy of Nelson Mandela, South Africa's first democratically-elected president, said that violence is often too readily dismissed as the work of extremists or criminals, when it can be the result of careful calculation by communities who "see that only such action elicits the desired response from the state".
"When communities are confronted by both resilient structural violence and attacks on their bodies, violent responses will occur... The use of violence can be rational and carefully targeted," its statement continued.
Teenage tennis star delivers powerful speech
Speaking at a protest in Florida, Coco Gauff spoke with a maturity that belies her age at a protest against ongoing police brutality in the United States.
It's a big word and maybe too often thrown around but America might be heading for some kind of revolution with lots of people saying the current protests are the most radical they have seen. The levels of anger have not been witnessed in America for a very long time and the feeling is that the it's a bubbling cauldron ready to explode.
Drew Brees has apologised for insensitive comments made to Yahoo Finance. The New Orleans Saints quarterback faced backlash after saying he will "never agree with anybody disrespecting the flag of the United States of America or our country" during an interview with Yahoo Finance when asked about Colin Kaerpernick taking a knee during the national anthem.
"I love and respect my teammates, and I stand right there with them in regard to fighting for racial equality and justice," Brees said. "I also stand with my grandfathers, who risked their lives for this country, and countless other military men and women who do it on a daily basis."
The problem stems from the criticism Kaepernick faced. And now that protests are taking place, with some of them getting out of control, some Americans are saying peaceful protest is okay but not violent protests when this is clearly not the case.
I would like to apologize to my friends, teammates, the City of New Orleans, the black community, NFL community and anyone I hurt with my comments yesterday. In speaking with some of you, it breaks my heart to know the pain I have caused. In an attempt to talk about respect, unity, and solidarity centered around the American flag and the national anthem, I made comments that were insensitive and completely missed the mark on the issues we are facing right now as a country. They lacked awareness and any type of compassion or empathy. Instead, those words have become divisive and hurtful and have misled people into believing that somehow I am an enemy. This could not be further from the truth, and is not an accurate reflection of my heart or my character. This is where I stand: I stand with the black community in the fight against systemic racial injustice and police brutality and support the creation of real policy change that will make a difference. I condemn the years of oppression that have taken place throughout our black communities and still exists today. I acknowledge that we as Americans, including myself, have not done enough to fight for that equality or to truly understand the struggles and plight of the black community. I recognize that I am part of the solution and can be a leader for the black community in this movement. I will never know what it’s like to be a black man or raise black children in America but I will work every day to put myself in those shoes and fight for what is right. I have ALWAYS been an ally, never an enemy. I am sick about the way my comments were perceived yesterday, but I take full responsibility and accountability. I recognize that I should do less talking and more listening...and when the black community is talking about their pain, we all need to listen. For that, I am very sorry and I ask your forgiveness.
George Floyd will be remembered across three cities over six days. There will also be other cities joining in as America is forced to look at its treatment of black people and accept that these protests have not come from nothing.
George Floyd had coronavirus, according to autopsy report
George Floyd tested positive for coronavirus, according to a full autopsy report released by the Hennepin county medical examiner’s office. The report noted that the virus was not a contributing factor in his death and that Floyd was asymptomatic.
Chauvin faces further charges for the murder of George Floyd
Derek Chauvin, 44, arrested on charges of third-degree murder and manslaughter, was also charged with second-degree murder.
The added charge, defined under Minnesota law as unintentionally causing another person's death in the commission of a felony offense, can carry a sentence of up to 40 years, 15 years longer than the maximum sentence for third-degree murder.
Chauvin was the white officer seen in video footage kneeling on Floyd's neck as Floyd gasped for air and repeatedly groaned, "Please, I can't breathe."
The video immediately went viral, igniting the nationwide protest and civil strife. Demonstrators have also taken to the streets overseas, from Britain to New Zealand.
Floyd, whom police suspected of trying to pass a counterfeit bill to pay for cigarettes, was pronounced dead at a hospital shortly after the May 25 encounter.
Floyd tested positive for the coronavirus, his autopsy showed, but the infection was not listed as a factor in his death.
Donald Trumpo blamed ANTIFA for the looting and rioting at some of the George Floyd protests but there are White Nationalists getting involved to create havoc in an already explosive situation.
It's not a new tactic used by these people have already infiltrated the Charlottesville protests in 2017.
“It's really important to understand how these groups operate. Some are incredibly organized with military style hierarchies, and others are a little bit more amorphous. But the same trends we see throughout the board, whether it's in Charlottesville, or now, or the many other white supremacist attacks that have happened in between," said the executive director of Integrity First organisation, Amy Spitalnick.
After long silence, Mattis denounces Trump and military response to crisis
After long refusing to explicitly criticize a sitting president, former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis accused President Donald Trump on Wednesday of trying to divide America and roundly denounced a militarization of the U.S. response to civil unrest.
The remarks by Mattis, an influential retired Marine general who resigned over policy differences in 2018, are the strongest to date by a former Pentagon leader over Trump's response to the killing of George Floyd, an African-American, while in Minneapolis police custody.
"Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people — does not even pretend to try," Mattis, who resigned as Trump's defense secretary in 2018, wrote in a statement published by The Atlantic.
Live coverage of George Floyd protests
Hello and welcome to out live coverage of the George Floyd protests that are currently happening across the United States. You can read back on what happened yesterday, Wednesday 3 June, here with protests continuing in American's largest cities.