By Stefan J. Bos, Special Correspondent Worthy News
(Worthy News) - Thousands of demonstrators ignored social distancing rules across Europe on Wednesday to protest against police violence and racial injustice.
The protests in Britain, Greece, the Netherlands, Finland, and Sweden came amid global outrage over the killing of George Floyd, the unarmed black man who died in U.S police custody.
In London, thousands rallied against police violence and racial injustice. Some of them marched to Parliament and the nearby Downing Street office of Prime Minister Boris Johnson. A few scuffles erupted between protesters and police outside the street’s massive metal gates. Inside, Johnson told reporters that he was “appalled and sickened” by Floyd’s death.
In Athens, Greece, police fired tear gas to disperse youths who threw firebombs and stones at them outside the U.S. Embassy. It happened toward the end of an otherwise peaceful demonstration by about 4,000 people, witnesses said. No injuries or arrests were reported.
But in the Netherlands, police cut short a rally in the Dutch port of Rotterdam by thousands of protesters. Authorities said the crowd got too big to maintain the government-imposed social distancing requirements to halt the coronavirus pandemic.
In Scandinavia, some 3,000 people reportedly rallied in Finland’s capital of Helsinki. However, they dispersed an hour later as the number of participants exceeded the 500 maximum allowed under virus restrictions.
More than 1,000 people also protested in Stockholm despite a ban on gatherings of over 50 people due to the coronavirus. While expressing solidarity with U.S. demonstrators, participants also stressed that racial injustice was a problem in Sweden, too.
There were also protests in Cape Town, South Africa, where about 20 people gathered near Parliament with signs reading “Justice 4 George Floyd and Collins Khosa.” Khosa died last month after being confronted by soldiers and police in Johannesburg’s Alexandra township.
Family members say he passed away after being choked and beaten. A South African army investigation cleared the soldiers. But the relatives’ lawyers want to challenge these findings.
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