Majority of Minneapolis City Council Pledges to Dismantle Police Department

Chanting “Black lives matter” and “No justice, no peace,” thousands of people swelled the Piazza del Popolo in Rome to protest racism in the United States and in Italy.

“As many

of you know, there is a very serious problem with state-condoned violence” in the United States, Fatimah Provillon, a New Jersey native who has lived in Rome for 13 years, told the crowd of mostly young Italians. “But it’s not just a U.S. problem — it’s happening all over the world.”

Thousands of people filled the streets outside the U.S. Embassy in London on Sunday, chanting George Floyd’s name and “Black lives matter,” “Let us live” and “No justice, no peace.” And when the protesters took to their knees, a protest gesture often seen in anti-racism campaigns, cries were heardof “The U.K. is not innocent.”

“We came to protest the injustice of the justice system and the deaths and killings of black people everywhere,” said Iyanah Gordon, one of a group of 18-year-old friends from South London who were at the protest. “Injustices like George Floyd’s death happen here.”

Jamal Marcano, 23, from West London, said he had been stopped by the police recently because of racial profiling. “In the U.S. the racism is more blatant, in the U.K. it is more subtle,” he said.

London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, also offered support to the weekend’s demonstrations, writing on Twitter on Sunday: “Londoners of all ages, races and backgrounds joined millions of people around the world yesterday to come together peacefully. I stand with you.”

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