George Floyd: Commemoration to be held in London to mark funeral in Texas
Boris Johnson admits non-whites face discrimination in Britain, but warns activists any wrongdoers will face legal repercussions.
Tuesday 9 June 2020 11:23, UK
Anti-racism demonstrators will gather in London later to mark the funeral of George Floyd, whose death has sparked worldwide protests against racism.
Mr Floyd died on 25 May after a white police officer in Minneapolis restrained him by holding a knee on his neck for nearly nine minutes. He will be buried in his home town of Houston, Texas.
A symbolic and socially distanced commemoration is planned at the Nelson Mandela statue in Parliament Square, London, at 5pm, organised by Stand Up To Racism.
Protests took place across the UK at the weekend, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson acknowledging that concerns over racism were "founded on a cold reality".
He said leaders "simply can't ignore" concerns that black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) groups are discriminated against.
In a video posted on Monday evening, Mr Johnson said: "In this country and around the world his (Mr Floyd's) dying words - I can't breathe - have awakened an anger and a widespread and incontrovertible, undeniable feeling of injustice, a feeling that people from black and minority ethnic groups do face discrimination: in education, in employment, in the application of the criminal law.
"And we who lead and who govern simply can't ignore those feelings because in too many cases, I am afraid, they will be founded on a cold reality."
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Protesters pulled down a statue of slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol during the protests, nearly 50 police officers were injured in clashes in London and graffiti was scrawled on the Sir Winston Churchill statue in Parliament Square.
Mr Johnson warned there would be legal repercussions, calling for people to "work peacefully, lawfully, to defeat racism".
Stand Up To Racism co-convenor Sabby Dhalu said of Tuesday's commemoration: "The uprising of black communities and others against racism since (George) Floyd was killed must lead to transformation against racial discrimination. We demand justice."
It comes after mayor of London Sadiq Khan announced the city's landmarks would be reviewed to ensure they reflect the capital's diversity.
He said the Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm would look at murals, street art, street names, statues and other memorials and consider which legacies should be celebrated.
A "racist" signs has also been removed from outside a pub in Ashbourne, Derbyshire, after thousands signed a petition calling for it to be taken down.