Black Lives Matter: Civil Movement 2020

By: Sara Saxena

Tens of thousands of people gathered together in tribute to George Floyd during a protest against racism and police brutality on June 6, 2020.

George Floyd spent the last few moments of his life lying on the ground, handcuffed, with his neck pinned under the knee of a white Minneapolis police officer who ordered him to ‘relax’ as the 46 year old black man gasped,” Please, I can’t breathe.”

Anger over Floyd’s death on May 25 bubbled over into protests across the United States calling for an end to police brutality and injustice and those demonstrations have gone global. This happened despite mass gatherings being prohibited in the country as part of its corona virus response.

The protests began peacefully but at one point, emotions ran high and objects and punches were thrown at police. People then calmed down again. This is the biggest collective demonstration of civil unrest in our generation’s memory. The unifying theme for the first time in American history, is at last: Black Lives Matter.

President Trump has threatened to use military force to “solve the problem”, should governors fail to put an end to the movement.

This movement will not stop until justice is given, until this brutality is stopped.

Justice for Belly Mujinga

Black Lives Matter demonstrators gathered at Hyde park, where they held up signs seeking justice for Belly Mujinga, a railway worker who died after being spat on by a man who claimed to have the corona virus but the case was closed last month.