George Floyd and Black Lives Matter protests: 13 June
George Floyd Black Lives Matter protests latest news: 13/14 June
Trump to turn off sport if players kneel during anthem
United States President Donald Trump has said he will not watch National Football League (NFL) or U.S. soccer team matches if players do not stand for the national anthem. The U.S. Soccer Federation last week said it had dropped its requirement that players stand during the anthem, saying the policy was wrong and detracted from the Black Lives Matter movement.
The policy was adopted in 2017 after U.S. women's national team member Megan Rapinoe took a knee during the anthem before a game, in solidarity with NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who knelt to call attention to racial injustice.
'I won't be watching much anymore,' Trump tweeted late on Saturday in response to a report of Republican congressman Matt Gaetz criticising U.S. Soccer's move. 'And it looks like the NFL is heading in that direction also, but not with me watching,' Trump said.
Atlanta update
A reminder of the news earlier from Atlanta where violence erupted after police shot Rayshard Brooks.
Many questioning why calling armed police, in this case because a man was asleep in his car, is often the go-to response.
Chappelle's 8:46
Netflix released Chappelle's new special on YouTube titled, "8:46," a reference to the eight minutes and 46 seconds that former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin had his knee on George Floyd's neck.
The powerful special was filmed on 6 June in Beavercreek, Ohio, in front of a socially distanced crowd wearing masks.
Confederate flag ban
“The presence of the confederate flag at NASCAR events runs contrary to our commitment to providing a welcoming and inclusive environment for all fans, our competitors and our industry,” NASCAR said.
The ABC13 of false claims
A round-up of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media.
Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said Saturday that Floyd’s case may be among scores built on false evidence from Gerald Goines, who is facing murder charges after he allegedly lied to obtain the warrant in a botched 2019 drug raid that left two people dead.
Atlanta demonstrators protest police killing of black man; chief resigns
Atlanta's police chief resigned on Saturday as protesters took to the streets hours after the fatal shooting by police of a black man who had fallen asleep in his car while waiting in line at a drive thru at a Wendy's fast-food restaurant south of downtown, the city's mayor said on Saturday.
Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said she accepted the resignation of police chief Erika Shields after the killing of Rayshard Brooks, 27, of Atlanta.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) said it was investigating the incident. Police said Brooks resisted arrest after failing a field sobriety test.
Protests began Saturday afternoon in Atlanta, and were expected to continue through the day. The Atlanta police department did not return a request for comment.
Protesters hold placards during a demonstration against the death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody, in Washington, U.S., June 13, 2020. REUTERS/Erin Scott
Atlanta police chief to step down
Following protests against the killing of Rayshard Brooks, an unarmed black man who fell asleep in a queue for a drive-in fast foot outlet, Atlanta police chief Erika Shields has said she will step down from her position.
Derek Chauvin eligible for pension even if convicted of George Floyd killing
According to various reports, the officer accused of killing George Floyd, Derek Chauvin, will remain eligible for his police pension even if convicted.
Demonstrators in Atlanta protest police killing of black man who fell asleep in drive-thru
(Reuters) Demonstrators took to the streets in Atlanta on Saturday protesting the fatal shooting by police of a black man who had fallen asleep in his car while waiting in line at a fast food drive thru south of downtown.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said it was probing the killing of Rayshard Brooks, 27, of Atlanta. Police said he resisted arrest after failing a field sobriety test during the Friday night incident.
Protests over Brooks' killing began Saturday afternoon in Atlanta, and were expected to continue through the day.
The president of the Georgia NAACP, the Rev. James Woodall, has called for the firing of Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution newspaper.
What US military bases are named after Confederate generals?
After Donald Trump said US bases named for Confederate generals will not be rebranded amid the George Floyd protests we take a look at the installations in question.
George Floyd's daughter offered Texas Southern University scholarship
“This Board is committed to education and understands that a college degree is one of many powerful steps toward a productive and successful life,” said Albert H. Myres, chair of the university’s Board of Regents, in a statement. “We know that this gesture cannot take the place of her dad’s loving presence, but we hope that it will contribute to easing her journey through life.”
Battle in Waterloo as London protests turn violent
Far-right elements and supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement have come to blows around Waterloo in London during protests connected to the death of George Floyd on 25 May.
George Floyd protests focus attention on Mississippi state flag
Mississippi is the only US state to still incorporate the Confederate battle flag in its design, which will surely become a matter for debate in the wake of the George Floyd protests.
People gather during a rally as part of the 'Black Lives Matter' worldwide protests against racism and police brutality, on Place de la Republique in Paris on June 13, 2020
Several thousand rally in Paris anti-racism protest
(Reuters) Several thousand people denounced police violence in an anti-racism protest in central Paris on Saturday, as a wave of anger continued to sweep the world following the death of African American George Floyd.
The protesters chanted "No justice, no peace" and some climbed the statue of Marianne, who personifies the French Republic, in the Place de la Republique. In one brief incident, riot police, present in large numbers, fired tear gas.
The outrage generated by Floyd's death in Minneapolis last month has resonated in France, in particular in deprived city suburbs where rights groups say that accusations of brutal treatment by French police of residents of often immigrant background remain largely unaddressed.
Far-right protesters and police scuffle in London's Trafalgar Square
Far-right protesters and police scuffled in London's Trafalgar Square, fireworks were set off and bottles were thrown on Saturday, as officers tried to separate them from anti-racism demonstrators, witnesses said.
About 1,000 far-right activists took to London's streets, vowing to protect historic monuments that have been targeted on the fringes of recent Black Lives Matter marches. About 100 people were involved in clashes in Trafalgar Square, according to reporters at the scene.
Taiwan Black Lives Matter protest gets indigenous twist
Hundreds packed into a park in central Taipei on Saturday for a Black Lives Matter protest, with a group of indigenous Taiwanese given prominent billing to draw attention to discrimination against the island's original inhabitants.
The rally, attended by more than 500 people, mostly foreigners, was peaceful with only a very light police presence.
While its main focus was to show solidarity with anti-racism protests triggered around the world by the death in police custody last month of African-American George Floyd, organisers also wanted to draw attention to some of Taiwan's own problems.
Savungaz Valincinan, an ethnic Bunun from central Taiwan, took to the stage to detail the difficult past of indigenous Taiwanese, who make up less than 3% of the island's population, and call for broad opposition to any form of discrimination.
London statues boarded up
Ahead of the planned BLM march today and subsequent far right counter protest, various statues across the English capital (Churchill, Gandhi, Mandela...) have been boarded up as a safety measure.
Police use batons on far right groups
With chants of "Eng-er-land, Eng-er-land' far right groups saw resistence from baton wielding police officers in the Westminster area of the capital.
Tension in central London
Black Lives Matter protesters are being urged to avoid protesting in central London after numerous groups of far right have made their presence felt in the area.
Seattle mayor says illegal for Trump to send military to clear protesters
The mayor of Seattle said that it would be unconstitutional and illegal for U.S.President Donald Trump to send military forces into the city to clear protesters occupying a neighborhood, as he has suggested.
But Mayor Jenny Durkan, speaking at an afternoon press conference, did not say how or when authorities would remove the roughly 500 demonstrators who have established a makeshift encampment behind barricades in the Capitol Hill district.
"It is unconstitutional and illegal to send the military into Seattle," said Durkan, a first-term Democrat. "There is no imminent threat of an invasion of Seattle." Activists have occupied the area since police on Monday moved street barricades and abandoned their East Precinct station in a move city officials say aimed to reduce tension.
Thousands attend Black Lives Matter protests across Australia
Thousands of people across Australia attended Black Lives Matter protests on Saturday wearing masks and practising social distancing amid warnings from state leaders to call off the events on fears of a second wave of coronavirus infections.
The rallies, dominated by a heavy police presence, were mostly peaceful. Protesters marched on the streets or gathered at public parks carrying posters that said "No Justice, No Peace" and "Sorry For The Inconvenience, We Are Trying To Change The World."
Far right protesters launch counter demonstration in London
Paul Goulding, leader of a far-right political group Britain First (R) stands by the Winston Churchill statue ahead of a possible Black lives matter demonstration in London.
Photo: EFE/EPA/VICKIE FLORES
Mayor urges people to avoid central London ahead of protests
London's mayor called on people to stay away from central London on Saturday as the capital prepared for potential confrontation between anti-racism protesters and far right groups.
Statues of historical figures including Winston Churchill, which have been at the forefront of demonstrations by anti-racism groups, were boarded up on Friday ahead of the expected protests in London.
"We have intelligence that extreme far right groups are coming to London ostensibly, they say, to protect the statues, but we think the statues may be a flashpoint for violence," London's mayor Sadiq Khan said on BBC Radio. Khan also said that people should not join demonstrations during the coronavirus pandemic as there was evidence from the United States that those attending them had caught it.
Black Lives Matter protests, live coverage: welcome
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the ongoing fall-out from the killing of George Floyd in the custody of Minneapolis police officers. The Black Lives Matter protests sparked by Floyd's death, which spread first across the US and then throughout the world, are now well into their third week, and we'll endeavour to bring you the latest news on the situation as it emerges.