25, 2020, George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was killed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during an arrest for allegedly using a counterfeit bill. Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, knelt on Floyd's neck for almost nine minutes while Floyd was handcuffed and lying face down, begging for his life and repeatedly saying "I can't breathe". A second and third officer further restrained Floyd while a fourth prevented bystanders from intervening. During the final three minutes Floyd was motionless and had no pulse while Chauvin ignored onlookers' pleas to remove his knee, which he did not do until medics told him to.
The following day, after videos made by witnesses and security cameras became public,all four officers were fired. Two autopsies found Floyd's death to be a homicide. Chauvin was initially charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter,to which was later added second-degree murder; the three other officers were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.
Floyd's death triggered demonstrations and protests in over 2,000 U.S. cities and around the world against police brutality, police racism, and lack of police accountability. In early June, the Minneapolis City Council took action to ban chokeholds and require police officers to intervene against the use of excessive force by other officers, and voted an intent to replace the police department with a "new community-based system of public safety."The Minneapolis Police Chief canceled contract negotiations with the police union and announced plans to bring in outside experts to examine how the union contract can be restructured to provide transparency and "flexibility for true reform.
Thousands of people across the country have gathered for Black Lives Matters (BLM) protests, as demonstrations continue for the fourth weekend in the row. Scores of protesters assembled at Speakers' Corner in London's Hyde Park, while a separate group marched from Vauxhall en route to Parliament Square. In Guernsey, as the island lifts social distancing measures, hundreds attended protests in honour of George Floyd, whose death sparked international outrage. Glasgow’s Say No to Racism event, which was twinned with World Refugee Day, was largely peaceful, despite a large police presence on George Square and minor scuffles. Elsewhere, in Scotland a protest was held at the statue of Henry Dundas, who delayed the abolition of the slave trade, at St Andrew Square, Edinburgh. Peaceful protests have similarly been held in Manchester and Birmingham this weekend.


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