Secret Service Locks Down White House As George Floyd’s Death Protestors Gathered On Pennsylvania Avenue

Protests continue into the night. Here’s what ‘Justice for George Floyd’ protests looked like in DC. Secret Service Locks Down White House As George Floyd’s Death Protestors Gathered On Pennsylvania Avenue

British Troop’s Burning Of The White House In 1812

The White House was locked down under U.S. Secret Service order Friday night as over 100 people gathered outside the gates on Pennsylvania Avenue, protesting the death of George Floyd.

Over 2,000 protestors moved to the Trump International Hotel, chanting “we can’t breathe” and “no justice, no peace” as well as carrying a variety of signs. Others gathered near 14th and U streets in Northwest, temporarily blocking an intersection before heading to the White House.

Around 7:30 p.m., a brief scuffle with Secret Service agent knocked one protestor to the ground, drawing large crowds around the incident.

The Secret Service also apprehended a woman after she climbed over a barrier.

Graffiti was also spraypainted on Freedman’s Bank catacorner to the White House after the group had first attempted to gain access to the building.

WUSA9’s John Henry said the protests were peaceful for the most part, but described police presence as large, with a mix of Secret Service agents and DC police.

British Troop’s Burning Of The White House In 1812

The protesters were a diverse crowd with both young and old marching through District streets. Around 9:30 p.m., they moved towards Capitol Hill and took to the highway, blocking traffic at the 395/695 interchange.

Two American flags were seen doused in lighter fluid and lit up throughout the night. Others decorated N95 masks with anti-police brutality messages, some saying “We all can’t breathe” and others “America is suffocating.”

While some of the larger crowds dispersed by the end of the night, there were still more than 100 people gathered alongside Pennsylvania Avenue after midnight. Heavy Secret Service presence was spotted outside the gates and around Lafeyette Square as protestors held up phone cameras in vigil to the fallen Floyd.

As of 3:30 a.m., officers were still attempting to get crowds outside of the Mall area and out of Lafayette Square. Some shouted “We’ll be back tomorrow,” before walking away, others continuing to try and cut behind officers who ushered them back.

Floyd, 46, was killed five days ago on May 25 after a Minneapolis police officer, Derek Chauvin, pinned him to the ground by his neck, cutting off his ability to breathe. Floyd, unarmed, died shortly thereafter.

On May 30, Chauvin was charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter.

Uniformed Secret Service officers made six arrests Friday night after “Justice for George Floyd” protests sparked in the District in the aftermath his killing by a Minneapolis police officer.

Protests erupted nationwide days after his death calling for the arrests of all the officers involved after a Memorial Day viral video showed Floyd being pinned down by his neck by then-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. Floyd, who is repeatedly heard in the video saying he can’t breath and asking for the Chauvin to get off his neck, died that day.

The Minneapolis mayor on Tuesday fired all four officers involved in the incident. On Friday, Chauvin was arrested and charged with murder and manslaughter in Floyd’s death. But the other three officers who were involved in the incident have not yet been arrested or charged, with local prosecutors in Minnesota on Friday saying that charges are likely forthcoming.

D.C. was among cities across the nation who held protests Friday night demanding the remaining three officers involved in Floyd’s death to be arrested and charged.

British Troop’s Burning Of The White House In 1812

Secret Service confirmed that arrests were made on Pennsylvania Avenue, near the White House.

“Demonstrators repeatedly attempted to knock over security barriers on Pennsylvania Avenue,” a Secret Service statement said. “Some of the demonstrators were violent, assaulting Secret Service Officer and Special Agents with bricks, rocks, bottles, fireworks and other items. Multiple Secret Service Uniformed Division Officers and Special Agents suffered injuries from this violence.”

D.C. police and U.S. Park Police were also at the protest on Pennsylvania Avenue, according to the Secret Service. It is unclear what specific roles these departments played in the riots outside the White House.

“Great job last night at the White House by the U.S. @SecretService,” the Tweet said. “They were not only totally professional, but very cool. I was inside, watched every move, and couldn’t have felt more safe. They let the ‘protesters’ scream & rant as much as they wanted, but whenever someone got too frisky or out of line, they would quickly come down on them, hard — didn’t know what hit them.”

The president also criticized D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser who, according to the president, would not allow District of Columbia city police to get involved with protecting the White House.

“On the bad side, the D.C. Mayor, @MurielBowser, who is always looking for money & help, wouldn’t let the D.C. Police get involved,” Trump tweeted. “‘Not their job.’ Nice!”
Bowser responded to the president’s tweets, calling for peace and restraint, and emphasizing that DC Police “will always protect DC and all who are in it.”

Updated: 5-30-2020

Colin Kaepernick Says Protesters ‘Have The Right To Fight Back’ In The Wake Of George Floyd’s Death

Former 49Ers QB Colin Kaepernick Addressed The Protests Surrounding The Death Of George Floyd.

‘When civility leads to death, revolting is the only logical reaction’.

The NFL activist who took a knee against police brutality has this to say about a law enforcement officer kneeling on the neck of a black man who later died:

‘When civility leads to death, revolting is the only logical reaction.’
— Colin Kaepernick

Images of former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem in 2017 have been shared by the likes of LeBron James and Jamie Foxx on Twitter US:TWTR, Facebook and Instagram this week in response to the death of George Floyd.

A viral citizen video of Floyd’s Memorial Day arrest shows Minneapolis police office Derek Chauvin kneeling on his neck for several minutes. Floyd is shown losing consciousness on the video after pleading that “I can’t breathe.”

Floyd was pronounced dead later on Monday, and the four officers involved in his arrest and death have been fired. Chauvin wasn’t arrested until Friday. This has led to protests flaring up around the country, killing at least one man in Minneapolis, and burning a police station in the city.

Kaepernick tweeted his support for the protesters on Thursday, writing, “The cries for peace will rain down, and when they do, they will land on deaf ears, because your violence has brought this resistance. We have the right to fight back!”

President Trump called out the protesters on Thursday, however, calling them “thugs” and threatening to send in the military to take control of the city. “When the looting starts, the shooting starts,” he tweeted in a post that Twitter later hid behind a label warning that it violates the social networks rules by glorifying violence. He also slammed Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey for being “weak” and unable to keep his city under control.

Frey responded that “Donald Trump knows nothing about the strength of Minneapolis.” He also countered that, “Weakness is pointing your finger at somebody else during a time of crisis.”

Kaepernick has remained unsigned to any NFL team since his on-field protests in 2017. He sued the NFL for colluding to keep him and former teammate Eric Reid out of the league, and they reached a surprise settlement for less than $10 million in February 2019, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The NFL tried organizing a workout for Kaepernick last year after none of the 32 NFL teams invited him to try out, but the unprecedented audition fell apart at the last minute when Kaepernick changed the location and refused to sign a liability waiver.

In mid-February, Kaepernick announced that he will be releasing a memoir under his own publishing company with the Amazon-owned US:AMZN Audible.

6-1-2020

Protestors Invoke Bitcoin In The Wake of George Floyd’s Death

Cryptocurrencies appear on the scene of massive protests in the U.S. in response to police killing George Floyd, with many industry leaders weighing in.

The United States is witnessing its biggest protests in years following the death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis. Some compare it to those after the murder of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968. The community crypto has chimed in on the situation.

Crypto Sphere Personalities Like Binance’s CEO Changpang Zhao Reacted Via Twitter After Six Days Of Massive Protests:

“#Bitcoin is the peaceful protest”

Ripple’s CEO Brad Garlinghouse also reacted via Twitter to the protests, stating that he stands in solidarity “with all who are fighting to save Black lives.”

Cryptos And Its Role In The Protests

Several posters referring to Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have been making the rounds on social media.

A protester in Raleigh, North Carolina, carried a poster referring to the book “Bitcoin and Black America,” authored by Isaiah Jackson, which “explores the synergy between black economics, Bitcoin and blockchain technology.”

Bitcoin Project Also Published The Following Comment:

Counterfeit $trillion
the state doesn’t bat an eye.⁰⁰

Counterfeit $20
⁰the state loses its mind.
— Bitcoin (@Bitcoin) May 29, 2020

The debate continues, as do the protests that Governors responded to by announcing curfews in several states over the weekend. 75 cities across the country joined protests against police violence.

One protestor in Dallas carried a sign saying “Bitcoin Will Save Us,” to the ire of a number of commentators both within and outside of the crypto industry:

Christ pic.twitter.com/BmRmlZnMWa
— Jessica Huseman (@JessicaHuseman) June 1, 2020

Cryptocurrencies Role In Recent Protests Across The Globe

Cryptos continue to be a topic discussed amid the protests that have been taking place in recent years around the world.

Cointelegraph reported in 2019 that the pro-democracy and anti-government protest movement in Hong Kong spurred wider adoption of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin.

The political upheaval prompted several local businesses and individuals to switch to using decentralized digital currencies.

In Latin America, cryptocurrencies played a role in the protests that occurred in the last quarter of 2019 in Chile, Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru.

Updated: 6-1-2020

Trump Pushes Governors To Get Tough On Violent Protesters

‘Most of you are weak,’ Trump tells state leaders on call; some governors push back.

President Trump pushed governors to get tough on the violent demonstrations that have followed widespread peaceful protests against police brutality, telling state leaders, “most of you are weak.”

Speaking to the governors Monday on a teleconference, the president said what was happening in New York City was “terrible” and added it was important for governors to send law enforcement in to “dominate,” according to a recording of the roughly one-hour-long call reviewed by journalists.

“You have to dominate. If you don’t dominate you’re wasting your time,” Mr. Trump said. “You’re going to look like a bunch of jerks. You have to arrest people. And you have to try people and they have to go to jail for long periods of time.”

Unrest has roiled Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Washington, D.C., and other cities following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody a week ago. The Trump administration and both chambers of Congress have begun weighing policy responses to the crisis, as has former Vice President Joe Biden, Mr. Trump’s expected Democratic opponent in November’s presidential election.

Mr. Trump was joined on the call by Attorney General William Barr, who also stressed the need for a strong police presence, and by Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Gen. Mark Milley. Mr. Barr said the violence was being committed at the hands of extremist agitators and urged a firm local response. He said a joint terrorism task force would be used to target instigators.

“Somebody throwing a rock, that’s like shooting a gun,” Mr. Trump said. “You have to do retribution, in my opinion. You have to use your own legal system. But if you want this to stop, you have to do that, but you have to prosecute people.”

Democratic Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker directly confronted Mr. Trump about his commentary, saying he was “extraordinarily concerned by the rhetoric that’s been used by you.”

“I don’t like your rhetoric much either,” Mr. Trump responded, before saying he has addressed Mr. Floyd’s death at length, but also is calling for law and order.

White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany told reporters Monday that Mr. Trump “made clear that what we are seeing on America’s streets is unacceptable,” adding, “Violence, looting, anarchy and lawlessness are not to be tolerated. Plain and simple.”

Mr. Trump in recent days has condemned Mr. Floyd’s death, which occurred after an officer held his knee on his neck as he cried that he couldn’t breathe. The president has also called on state and local officials to do more to stop looting and violence, which he has blamed on outside agitators and radical-left groups.

Sen. Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) called on Mr. Trump to use the Insurrection Act to deploy active-duty military forces in response to the demonstrations, and the president appeared to signal interest in the idea later Monday on Twitter. Asked whether Mr. Trump would use the act, Ms. McEnany told reporters the administration was “looking at every tool” available.

Mr. Trump was briefed Monday by his national-security team on the possibility of deploying active-duty troops, but no decision had been made on whether to do so, according to a senior White House official. The official added that 17,000 members of the National Guard had been deployed to states and that number will double, at least, in the next two days.

On the call with the governors, the president again blamed “the radical left” and compared the protests to a war. He also cited “looters and people thinking they can get free stuff.” He called on governors to use the National Guard and noted the violence in New York, Philadelphia and Los Angeles, adding that in Washington, protesters “attacked the AFL-CIO building.”

“We’re going to clamp down very very strong,” he said. “If you don’t dominate your city and your state, they’re going to walk away with you.”

On the call, some governors stressed to the president that there were peaceful demonstrators at the protests, linking the violence to outside agitators and radical groups.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, encouraged Mr. Trump to make clear to the public that the National Guard wasn’t an occupying force and instead consists of people’s neighbors.

“It got so bad a few nights ago that the people wouldn’t have minded an occupying force,” Mr. Trump responded. “I wish we had an occupying force.”

Maine Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, raised concerns about a planned trip to the state this week by Mr. Trump that hadn’t yet been publicly announced. “I’m very concerned that your presence may cause security problems for our state,” she said. The president said later that Maine’s governor might have “talked me into” going to the state despite her concerns.

Republican South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster agreed with the president’s tough talk, saying: “I think what you are saying is right. We have to take these people out and deliver justice. ”

Some also said they were concerned the gatherings could lead to an increase in coronavirus cases. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, said he was worried about it being “some kind of a setback.”

Some of the president’s advisers have encouraged Mr. Trump to tone down his rhetoric, people familiar with the matter said.

Mr. Biden met with black ministers and other community leaders Monday morning at a church in Wilmington, Del., before holding a teleconference with big-city mayors including Eric Garcetti of Los Angeles and Keisha Lance Bottoms of Atlanta.

“People are angry,” Mr. Biden said. “I’m sure you guys are too, I’m angry. And the fact is we need that anger, we need that to compel us to move forward.”

“But we’re also seeing a justifiable public outrage, protests turned to acts of needless destruction in cities across the country, which are not justified,” Mr. Biden added, saying, “Violence that endangers lives, guts local businesses, is no way forward.”

On Sunday, the president said the administration would designate antifa, a loose affiliation of far-left groups and individuals, as a terrorist organization.

Both the House and Senate prepared to examine police conduct and the issues underlying the wave of violence unleashed in response to Mr. Floyd’s death.

On Twitter Monday, Sen. Marco Rubio (R., Fla.), the temporary chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said there were “clear reasons to believe Antifa is responsible for violence at protests.” He also noted the presence of other antipolice groups involved that “are described as ‘far-right.’ But they are really anti-govt/anti-American insurrectionists.”

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson (D., Miss.) said he was concerned about reports that white nationalists and right-wing extremists were joining the protests and asked the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security Department for a briefing.

“We cannot allow possible extremists and domestic terrorists to use these protests to further their dangerous and deadly objectives,” Mr. Thompson said in a weekend statement.

Lawmakers from both parties said the weekend’s protests underscored the broad need for change and healing at a time when the country reels from a global pandemic and the ensuing economic devastation.

“You can’t legislate away racism but we certainly need to come together,” said Rep. Joyce Beatty (D., Ohio), who was pepper-sprayed by police Saturday at a protest in Columbus, Ohio. “We have a lot of work to do.”

Updated: 6-1-2020

National Guard Expands Presence Amid Unrest

Increase in troops comes after clashes over the weekend.

National Guardsmen On Duty Sunday In Minneapolis 

The National Guard said Monday it had deployed 12,000 additional Air and Army Guardsmen for civil-unrest response in 23 states and Washington, D.C., making the 67,000 members now on the streets for the protests and Covid-19 the largest number ever activated in the U.S.

The National Guard expanded its civil-unrest presence from roughly 5,000 to 17,000 from Sunday to Monday following clashes over the weekend, reaching a total that surpassed the 51,000 activated during the 2005 Hurricane Katrina response.

The new troops were in response to protests that had spread across the country following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, said Wayne V. Hall, a spokesman for the National Guard Bureau.

In addition to the 17,000 troops deployed for civil unrest, roughly 45,000 National Guard members were being used for Covid-19 response, with testing and screening the priority effort in most states. Additional troops were being used for disaster aid nationwide.

The unrest, which began last week, came after Mr. Floyd, a black man, died during an arrest after a white police officer kept his knee pressed into his neck, which was captured on video.

The National Guard works with local law enforcement. While each mission varies by state, troops can be used for civil-disturbance control, as site and personnel security, and for critical infrastructure protection, among other duties. They can use Tasers, pepper spray and batons, according to a release from the National Guard.

“In all cases, state and local law-enforcement agencies remain responsible for security. The National Guard will respond to their requests for assistance in augmenting law enforcement,” said Mr. Hall.

California National Guard Troops And City Police Protect Los Angeles City Hall On Sunday. 

Around midnight Sunday, police and the state National Guard fatally shot a person in Louisville, Ky., as they tried to disperse a crowd, Gov. Andy Beshear said.

Mr. Hall, the National Guard spokesman, said troops are directed to use the minimum amount of force possible in domestic situations, unlike in combat scenarios. He said that while the rules of force vary by state, the goal isn’t to engage protesters, but to provide peace and order.

“The National Guard is here to help restore order as we support law enforcement, protect lives and property in the communities of which we are members, and to ensure the right to safely and peacefully protest,” he said.

“It is designed to engage unrest at the lowest possible level,” said Major Scott Hawks, a spokesman for the Minnesota National Guard. “If our folks and others are at risk of death or debilitating harm, then the greatest level of force is authorized.”

Such level of force has been used once during the protests in the state. In Minneapolis on Sunday night, a National Guardsman fired at a vehicle that was driving at law enforcement personnel after nonlethal attempts to stop the vehicle failed, said Major General Jon Jensen, Minnesota National Guard adjutant general. As with any time a weapon is fired by the National Guard, the incident is being investigated.

Washington, D.C., Police Chief Peter Newsham said the National Guard had asked to play a more significant role in the nation’s capital Monday than they had the day before, where they were primarily enlisted to help park police. Mr. Newsham said he would absolutely take them up on their offer.

A National Guard Member On Patrol In Santa Monica, Calif., On Sunday. 

The National Guard deployed are all under state control, according to another National Guard spokesman, U.S. Army Master Sgt. W. Michael Houk. They are acting under what is known as Title 32 status, which means they are being paid by the federal government but are under control the of state authorities.

Mr. Houk said that they hadn’t received any orders for troops to be put under Title 10 status, which would put the federal government in charge of National Guard deployment.

Updated: 6-2-2020

George Floyd’s Death in U.S. Sparks Outcry Abroad

U.S. allies expressed solidarity with American protesters while adversaries seize on violent clashes to criticize official U.S. responses to the unrest.

U.S. allies expressed solidarity with Americans protesting the death of George Floyd, while rivals seized on violent clashes to criticize official U.S. responses to the unrest and question Washington’s global leadership.

From the U.K. to New Zealand, thousands took to the streets over recent days to support U.S. protesters and decry similar problems in their own communities. For many, distaste for President Trump mixed with surprise at images of U.S. police violence. Much of the world has traditionally looked to the U.S. to call out other countries’ injustice or violence.

Mr. Floyd’s death on May 25 while in custody of Minneapolis police and the use of force since by U.S. law enforcement was widely condemned.

“We here in Europe, like the people of the United States, we are shocked and appalled by the death of George Floyd,” European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Tuesday. The killing was “an abuse of power and this has to be denounced, has to be combated in the [United] States and everywhere.”

Adversaries including Russia and Iran used the killing and subsequent demonstrations as evidence of what they say is hypocrisy by the U.S. Zimbabwe’s government, which has a record of brutality against protesters, summoned the U.S. ambassador for a dressing down.

International protests stemming from those in the U.S. build on eroding favor for the U.S. overseas.

In a global survey released in January, the Pew Research Center found that Mr. Trump is the world’s most negatively viewed major leader, with a higher no-confidence rating, at 64%, than Russian President Vladimir Putin (57%) or Chinese President Xi Jinping (43%).

Pew, which for years has tracked international confidence in U.S. presidents, found that it “plummeted” from 74% for President Obama in 2016 to 23% for Mr. Trump in 2017 and last year stood at 31%. The category “Favorable Views of the U.S.” fell from 64% in 2016 to 53% last year.

U.S. allies have largely sought to criticize police violence while avoiding comment on the Trump administration’s response.

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab on Tuesday was urged by an opposition member of Parliament to condemn U.S. responses to protests because it would shield the U.K. against charges of hypocrisy for criticizing Chinese action against protesters in Hong Kong.

“We all want to see America come together, not tear itself apart,” Mr. Raab replied. “I’d be a bit careful about the moral equivalence” of events in the U.S. and China, he added.

In Hong Kong, where China has forbidden protests, social media groups used by antigovernment protesters filled with messages of support for U.S. protesters and protesting tips from last year’s monthslong fights.

“HK protesters told me to make signs out of wood and wear gloves, the wood can help shield from rubber bullets,” American rapper Elijah Daniel tweeted Monday.

Most international demonstrations have remained peaceful and focused on racism. In Amsterdam and Brussels, which have large minority immigrant communities, protests were organized by the Dutch and Belgian branches of the Black Lives Matter movement. In London and other U.K. cities, thousands of protesters gathered over the weekend, chanting “black lives matter.”

“The experience of black people in our great city, in our country and across the world is very different to the experience of people who are not black,” London Mayor Sadiq Khan told BBC Radio. “And that’s why George Floyd’s death has struck a chord with black people across the world.”

In France, roughly 100 people gathered on Sunday a working-class suburb of Paris, to protest injuries suffered by a 13-year-old boy as he was arrested for allegedly trying to steal a scooter.

Participants referenced U.S. events, according to French media. Kylian Mbappé, a French soccer star who grew up in the area, said in an Instagram post: “Justice for Gabriel. Whether it’s here or elsewhere … #police violence #samefight.”

Several thousand people on Monday marched peacefully through the center of New Zealand’s largest city, Auckland, chanting “black lives matter” and holding placards calling for an end to police brutality and racism.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern acknowledged her country’s checkered record on relations with the indigenous Maori population, saying that “we don’t for a moment pretend to be perfect.”

Authorities outside the U.S. fear a turn to violence. A protest planned in Paris to commemorate the death in 2016 of a black man in police custody was canceled by city police on Tuesday. The police said that due to coronavirus, gatherings of more than 10 people are prohibited in Paris, and “the tone of the call circulating on social media to protest raises concerns.”

Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema said on Tuesday she was reluctant to order police to disperse a crowd of thousands in the city center on Monday night, fearing the use of force could further antagonizing protesters. The demonstration was authorized for 300 people.

U.S. adversaries took the opportunity to bite back Washington, which often chides them over violence and other abuses against their citizens.

“What is happening in the U.S., thank God, does not happen here,“ Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday. In Russia, ”the abuse of power by the police is regulated by law and departmental instructions. We don’t see parallels with the U.S.”

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi, in a rare press conference delivered in English on Monday, expressed solidarity with protesters in the U.S.

“To the American people: The world has heard your outcry over the state oppression. The world is standing with you,” Mr. Mousavi said. “To the American officials and police: Stop the violence against your people and let them breathe.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif posted a mocked-up headline from a U.S. State Department press statement, doctored to read: “Recent Protests in the U.S.” instead of Iran.

In response, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted: “You hang homosexuals, stone women and exterminate Jews.”

In Africa, Zimbabwe’s foreign minister on Monday summoned the U.S. ambassador after U.S. national security adviser Robert O’Brien named the country among “foreign adversaries” trying to use the protests to sow discord in the U.S.

Mr. O’Brien’s comments “are deeply damaging to a relationship already complicated by years of prescriptive megaphone diplomacy and punitive economic sanctions,” said Foreign Minister Sibusiso Moyo.

The ambassador, Brian Nichols, who is African-American, issued a statement listing Zimbabwean activists who have been abducted, assaulted or killed by police and security forces there. But he also recalled his own experience of racism.

In neighboring South Africa, which emerged from apartheid in the early 1990s, the ruling African National Congress asked President Cyril Ramaphosa to engage with the U.S. government to diffuse racial tensions.

Updated: 6-3-2020

Another Police Shooting In Louisville Inflames Racial Tensions

Restaurant owner David McAtee shot as city protests deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd; ‘It just keeps on going’

The city was already reeling from the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, a black woman killed by police here in March, when another African-American was fatally shot by law enforcement this week.

David McAtee, owner of the popular restaurant YaYa’s BBQ Shack, died after an exchange of gunfire with local police and National Guard troops early Monday, police said.

“There’s another death,” said James Robinson, a 20-year-old African-American college junior from Louisville who was out protesting Monday. “It just keeps on going. It never stops.”

While the nation is facing civil unrest sparked by the killing of Mr. Floyd in Minneapolis, this Southern city is also mourning the loss of their own, Ms. Taylor and now Mr. McAtee. For many longtime residents, Monday’s shooting didn’t come as a surprise, but instead a confirmation of their deep-seated mistrust of local police. Disgruntlement in Louisville grew from isolated demands for justice for Ms. Taylor to hundreds of people marching for police reform and racial equity.

At demonstrations across the city this week, protesters chanted the names of Ms. Taylor, Mr. Floyd and Mr. McAtee. One protester held up a sign that read: “Yall really gonna kill a black man during a protest for killing black men and women,” with Mr. McAtee’s name at the bottom.

Police said Tuesday that video released by the department shows Mr. McAtee fired first. Two city officers and two National Guard troops returned fire, police said, fatally hitting Mr. McAtee.

Odessa Riley, Mr. McAtee’s mother, has told local Louisville TV outlets that the videos released raise more questions than answers, and that she didn’t see a gun in her son’s hand. “He don’t do stuff like that. He took care of people,” she said.

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer fired the city’s police chief, Steve Conrad, on Monday after learning that the officers didn’t have activated body cameras, which went against department policy.

Robert Schroeder, who was named to replace Mr. Conrad, assured residents the department took their criticisms seriously, and said Kentucky State Police would conduct an independent oversight investigation into Mr. McAtee’s death apart from the department’s own inquiry. The National Guard also will undertake its own review, he said.

At a news conference Monday, Mr. Fischer acknowledged the community’s history of racial tension and urged residents to come together.

“The passions that are boiling over in our street are not a result of something that has just happened in the last month,” Mr. Fischer said. “These passions are the result of generations of mistreatment, inequity, structural racism that have led us to this point, exacerbated by an unequal balance of power between African-American communities and law enforcement.”

The Louisville Metro Police Department has been beset in recent years with a series of misconduct cases. In 2019, two officers pleaded guilty and went to prison over charges that they sexually abused minors in a youth program run by the department.

In 2018, an officer pulled over an African-American pastor who said he was racially profiled because he was driving an expensive car in a black neighborhood. The following year, a black teen was pulled over by police for making a wide turn and allegedly treated in humiliating fashion in an encounter caught on video and viewed widely on the internet. The police defended the practice of conducting traffic stops in high-crime areas as a way to reduce offenses, but ordered an internal investigation of the incident.

Mr. Conrad led the department starting in 2012 and faced growing opposition over his management of the department, including a 2017 vote of no confidence by the Louisville city council. Faced with outcry over the Breonna Taylor case, he said last month that he would retire in June.

Ms. Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency-room technician, was asleep in bed with her boyfriend when three plainclothes police officers broke through her apartment’s front door on March 13, according to a wrongful-death lawsuit filed by her family against the officers. Investigators said an alleged drug dealer they were pursuing had received packages at Ms. Taylor’s home, according to a search warrant affidavit.

Attorneys for Ms. Taylor’s family said police burst in without warning, leading the couple to believe they were intruders. Police said that although officers had a no-knock warrant, they still knocked several times and announced themselves. The case has spurred calls to end the use of such warrants.

Her boyfriend, who has a license to carry a firearm, shot at them, according to his attorney, and struck one of the officers, according to police. Officers responded by firing more than 20 bullets, at least eight of which hit and killed Ms. Taylor, according to family attorneys. No drugs were found at Ms. Taylor’s home, the attorneys said.

As activists raised the profile of the case, a growing number of pastors, elected officials and others called for an investigation. The police department’s internal investigation is under review by the state attorney general, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation opened its own inquiry.

Protests in Louisville have remained mostly peaceful in the past week, but there has been some damage to businesses and looting in recent days. Since Thursday, 142 people have been arrested in connection with protests, a police spokesman said Tuesday.

Christopher Hill, a 32-year-old Louisville resident who is black and works in the mechanical department of a railroad, recalls anxious interactions with police while growing up in the city’s West End, and said he feels that many officers were unjustifiably afraid of black residents.

“Honestly, it’s always been this bad,” he said. “It’s just now we can see it.”

Some protesters said they were pleased by Mr. Conrad’s firing, but still wanted to see greater accountability in the city. “It’s a step in the right direction,” said Annettra Jones, a 39-year-old pastor who grew up in Louisville but drove roughly three hours from her current home of West Lafayette, Ind., to join in the protests.

Jessica Green, an African-American councilwoman on the Louisville Metro Council, said the community is seething over the succession of police scandals. “People are just sick, they’re tired, they’re worn out, they’re angry,” she said.

Some longtime residents said they expected the protests to continue in Louisville for weeks unless officers were charged in Ms. Taylor’s case. “Right now, we’re at an impasse,” said Joe Scott, a 62-year-old parking attendant who experienced the 1968 riots there.

Working in a lot beside a bank downtown that is painted with graffiti that says, “poverty kills,” Mr. Scott said Louisville had long been segregated by income and had frayed racial relations.

“This has been building up,” he said.

Updated: 6-3-2020

Photos And Voices of The George Floyd Protests: ‘We Deserve To Be Heard’

As protests and vigils spread across the country sparked by the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, protesters voice their motivations for getting involved.

Updated: 6-3-2020

George Floyd Death: Derek Chauvin, Three Other Ex-Officers Face New Charges

Minnesota adds second-degree murder charge against former police officer, charges three others with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.

Minnesota’s attorney general added an upgraded charge of second-degree murder against one former police officer and charged three others in the death of George Floyd, in a fast-moving investigation of the killing that has sparked nationwide protests.

Attorney General Keith Ellison added a charge of second-degree murder in addition to the charge of third-degree murder against Derek Chauvin, the former police officer who was arrested and first charged Friday. The three other former officers were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.

“Every single link in the prosecutorial chain must be strong,” said Mr. Ellison. “Winning a conviction will be hard.” Mr. Ellison cautioned that it would be months before prosecutors are ready to take the case to trial.

Mr. Floyd, a black man, was arrested May 25 by four police officers on suspicion of using counterfeit money. In video that emerged a day later, Mr. Chauvin, who is white, can be seen pressing his knee on Mr. Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes, as Mr. Floyd cries that he can’t breathe and eventually loses consciousness. He was declared dead later that night. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner said Monday that his death was a homicide.

Mr. Chauvin and the three other officers, Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane, have been fired. Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman initially charged Mr. Chauvin on Friday with third-degree murder and manslaughter, before Mr. Ellison took over as the lead prosecutor in the case.

Drew Evans, superintendent for the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said one of the other three officers was now in custody and the other two were expected to be in custody by the end of the day.

“They upped the charge to second-degree murder!” Sam Barton, a plumber’s apprentice, announced on a blowhorn to sustained applause and cheers as he helped lead hundreds of protesters marching in downtown Philadelphia Wednesday afternoon.

“It’s a beautiful thing,” said Daniel Shields, who attended a vigil with hundreds of others in Washington, D.C., Wednesday. The 25-year-old Maryland student said the elevated charges against the Minnesota officers showed that the demonstrations across the country over the last week had made a difference.

“It’s reaching somebody somewhere—somebody important enough to do something,” he said.

By Wednesday afternoon, hundreds had begun gathering in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia after officials on Wednesday reported a drop in nighttime violence and arrests in many cities.

After protests turned violent earlier in the week in Washington, D.C., federal investigators are assessing whether the destruction was caused by people traveling to the area from outside the district or by their ideologies, a Justice Department official said, adding that authorities are also examining social media and other background information.

“Right now, we have not confirmed an active roll with any extremist group on either the left or the right with the individuals that we’ve charged yet, but we have leads on some of those, and we’re actively investigating that,” said the official, speaking specifically about the protests in D.C.

Updated: 6-4-2020

Protesters Gather to Memorialize George Floyd

A judge set bail of $750,000 for each of the three ex-police officers charged with aiding and abetting his killing.

Protesters in Minneapolis and around the country memorialized George Floyd on Thursday, as a judge set bail of $750,000 for each of the three ex-police officers charged with aiding and abetting his killing.

A memorial service in Minneapolis began with a eulogy delivered by civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton. Inside the chapel, a large picture of Mr. Floyd hung above the pulpit. Under his face were the words, “I can breathe now.”

“The reason why we’re marching all over the world is because we were like George, we couldn’t breathe,” said Mr. Sharpton. “Not because there was something wrong with our lungs but because you got your knee on our neck.”

Outside, Yvonne Ross, a bus driver, said she didn’t have any expectations of getting into the chapel, but came in from the suburb of Fritley because her 9-year-old son, Drameris, asked her to take him to see “what this was all about.”

A judge set bail of $750,000 each for three ex-police officers charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder in the May 25 killing of Mr. Floyd, the Associated Press reported. Only five news organizations were allowed into the courtroom amid constraints imposed due to the new coronavirus.

Two of the three officers were positioned on Mr. Floyd’s back and legs during the nearly nine minutes that a fourth officer, Derek Chauvin pressed a knee into his neck, according to their criminal complaints. The third officer kept onlookers at bay. None intervened to stop Mr. Chauvin, the complaints said.

None of the officers entered a plea, as expected for a first court appearance, according to the AP. Judge Paul Scoggin set June 29 as their next court date.

All four officers were fired a day after video of the killing was widely shared on social media. Mr. Chauvin faces charges of second- and third-degree murder. His lawyer said his first court appearance is set for Monday. Attorneys for the other three men didn’t respond to requests for comment.

In New York, by midday, thousands of people gathered peacefully for a memorial for Mr. Floyd organized by some of his family in Cadman Plaza in Brooklyn. Protesters carried signs that said “Black Lives Matter” and chanted “no justice, no peace.”

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio received scattered boos as he promised change. “It will not be about words in this city. It will be about change,” he said, leaving shortly after.

There were police present at barricades that surrounded the park, including many officers handing out masks.

“I’m here for justice and equality for all,” said protester Ideon Henry, 41, from the Flatbush neighborhood in Brooklyn. Mr. Henry said he had been at demonstrations in Brooklyn each night from Friday through Monday.

U.S. cities experienced a night of relative calm Wednesday after recent days in which largely peaceful daytime protests were taken over by nighttime looting and destruction.

The police department in Washington, D.C., which had arrested nearly 300 people Monday related to the protests, said Thursday morning they had made no arrests the night before. Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles didn’t extend their curfews on Thursday.

Peter Newsham, D.C.’s police chief, said an estimated 5,000 people gathered in the district Wednesday for peaceful protests and law enforcement expected demonstrations to remain calm, including during a large gathering planned for Saturday.

However, Democrats said they were seeking answers from the Trump administration Thursday on what law enforcement—some without badges or other identification—and military had been deployed to the nation’s capital, which isn’t a state and therefore under federal control.

“We are concerned about the increased militarization and lack of clarity that may increase chaos,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wrote in a letter to President Trump.

In a press conference Thursday, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser acknowledged that the federal government had at one point raised the idea of taking over the city’s police, which she said she opposed.

Mr. Trump hasn’t invoked the 1807 Insurrection Act, which allows the president to deploy active-duty troops to restore order when governors have lost control over their states. Mr. Trump had threatened to use federal forces Monday, but in an interview with Newsmax TV Wednesday said he wasn’t sure it would be necessary.

Still, the National Guard presence expanded across the country. As of Thursday, 32 states and D.C. had activated more than 32,400 troops in response to the protests, the National Guard said. The effort was part of a historic National Guard domestic presence this week to deal with civil unrest, the coronavirus pandemic and other disasters.

Authorities have made 51 arrests for federal crimes related to rioting, Attorney General William Barr said Thursday, blaming the violence and destruction on antifa as well as agitators “of a variety of different political persuasions.” Antifa, which is short for antifascist, refers to a loose affiliation of far-left groups and individuals who say they believe in confronting those they consider racist, anti-Semitic or fascist, including through violence.

The medical examiner’s office released its full autopsy report on Mr. Floyd Wednesday which said that he had the new coronavirus in April and was likely asymptomatic. He also had the drug fentanyl in his system at the time of his death, the report said.

Updated: 6-4-2020

Military Leaders Send Missives To Troops: ‘Stay True’ To The American People

The nation’s highest-ranking U.S. military officer reminded leaders of the armed forces of their oath to uphold the values of the Constitution, an admonition that came amid concern that President Trump may order active-duty troops onto American streets for the first time in nearly 30 years.

A one-page memo from Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was among a series of messages released this week by leaders of all the military service branches.

The memos were delivered more than a week after a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on the neck of George Floyd, a black man, killing him, sparking nationwide protests over police brutality, and days after Pentagon leaders participated in a controversial photo session with Mr. Trump outside the White House, prompting concern about the military’s commitment to remaining apolitical.

“Every member of the U.S. military swears an oath to support and defend the Constitution and the values embedded within it,” Gen. Milley wrote in his memo, disclosed Wednesday, adding the Constitution “gives Americans the right to freedom of speech and peaceful assembly.”

In a handwritten note at the bottom of his memo, he wrote: “We all committed our lives to the idea that is America. We will stay true to that oath and the American people.”

Approximately 1,600 active-duty federal troops are stationed on the outskirts of Washington, D.C., where they have been readied for a possible deployment in the event Mr. Trump invokes the 1807 Insurrection Act, which allows the use of federal troops stateside in extraordinary circumstances.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Wednesday that he opposes the deployment of federal troops to quell disturbances, but a Pentagon plan to begin returning some of the pre-positioned troops back to their home bases was set aside after Mr. Esper held meetings Wednesday at the White House.

In addition, governors in 31 states have activated more than 30,000 National Guard troops.

Gen. Milley’s message stopped short of giving troops any specific order or mentioning Mr. Floyd’s death. Messages containing some of that type of information were delivered by the chiefs of the major U.S. military services.

Adm. Mike Gilday, who leads the Navy, distributed a five-minute video that he recorded at his home around midnight Wednesday, moved to do so after hearing from sailors, defense officials said.

In his message, Adm. Gilday stressed the need to understand how Mr. Floyd’s death affected African-Americans and minority service members.

“I will never know what it feels like when you watch that video of Mr. Floyd’s murder. And I can’t imagine the pain and the disappointment and the anger that many of you felt when you saw that,” Adm. Gilday said. “I think we need to listen. We have black Americans in our Navy and in our communities that are in deep pain right now. They are hurting.”

Gen. David Goldfein, who leads the Air Force, told airmen in a memo that: “Every American should be outraged that the conduct exhibited by police in Minneapolis can still happen in 2020.”

Secretary of the Army Ryan McCarthy, Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. James McConville and Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Grinstonissued a joint message:

“To Army leaders of all ranks, listen to your people, but don’t wait for them to come to you. Go to them. Ask the uncomfortable questions. Lead with compassion and humility, and create an environment in which people feel comfortable expressing grievances. Let us be the first to set the example,” they wrote.

The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on the statements by the military leaders.

Some service chiefs had wanted to release such messages earlier but Pentagon leaders urged them to remain silent during the first week of protests, defense officials said.

That posture shifted after federal forces clashed Monday evening with crowds in Lafayette Park, just outside the White House. There, protesters were forcibly moved to allow Mr. Trump and an entourage including Defense Secretary Mark Esper, Attorney General William Barr and members of the president’s family to walk to St. John’s Church, where Mr. Trump held a bible and stood for photos.

Gen. Milley was among those photographed leaving the White House toward the square.

Updated: 6-6-2020

At George Floyd Protests, Police And Protesters Try To Stop Looting

New cooperation aims at halting criminal behavior that undermines peaceful demonstrators’ message.

Footage from recent protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd has highlighted moments of conflict between protesters and the police.

But alongside the tension, protesters and police leaders report that a new dynamic of cooperation has emerged, one designed to prevent conflicts, vandalism and looting.

A flurry of viral videos show protesters forming lines to block the looting of a Target store in Brooklyn, a Nike store in Spokane, Wash., and a Walgreen’s in Los Angeles.

At a protest in Philadelphia on Wednesday, Mahcaiyah Wearing-Gooden put herself between a handful of people taunting National Guard troops and city police officers. “We don’t need hate,” said Ms. Wearing-Gooden, a 28-year-old line cook. “These people have a job to do.”

She said she told the would-be agitators that the way to help would be to sit with the group of about 100 people and hold a sign or wave a fist. “You do not disrupt a peaceful protest,” she said.

The cooperation, which has emerged in cities across the country, is aimed both at ratcheting down tensions that might mar an otherwise peaceful protest and keeping away criminal behavior, like looting and property destruction, that could undermine the message conveyed by the peaceful protesters.

When protesters in Raleigh, N.C., were out more than an hour after the 8 p.m. curfew Wednesday, Police Chief Cassandra Deck-Brown met with a group and agreed to minimize arrests if the crowd dispersed by a deadline.

“It’s 9:23,” she said. “If I meet you part of the way, can you meet me part of the way? Can you end your march by 9:45?” she said, to a chorus of “yes!” There were no arrests, property damage or injuries Wednesday, according to the city.

In Portland, Ore., there was widespread damage downtown on the first nights of protesting, including a fire set inside the Multnomah County Justice Center, which houses courts and the jail. Daryl Turner, president of the Portland Police Association, said there is now a working arrangement between police and protesters.

“What the protest organizers are doing at the very beginning is they’re telling people, ‘If you’re in our crowd and you’re here to cause damage, we’re going to cast you out and we’re going to point you out, so when the police come, they’ll know who to arrest,’ ” said Mr. Turner, whose association represents 900 officers and dispatchers, the vast majority of the force.

Increased coordination has helped officers who feel outnumbered and overworked, after the department canceled all days off for a second week. “You have police officers who are out there, working long hours, tired, and a lot of them don’t disagree with the message,” he said. “All the help we’re getting from the people in the protest is really helping.”

Updated: 6-6-2020

Footage from recent protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd has highlighted moments of conflict between protesters and the police.

But alongside the tension, protesters and police leaders report that a new dynamic of cooperation has emerged, one designed to prevent conflicts, vandalism and looting.

A flurry of viral videos show protesters forming lines to block the looting of a Target store in Brooklyn, a Nike store in Spokane, Wash., and a Walgreen’s in Los Angeles.

At a protest in Philadelphia on Wednesday, Mahcaiyah Wearing-Gooden put herself between a handful of people taunting National Guard troops and city police officers. “We don’t need hate,” said Ms. Wearing-Gooden, a 28-year-old line cook. “These people have a job to do.”

She said she told the would-be agitators that the way to help would be to sit with the group of about 100 people and hold a sign or wave a fist. “You do not disrupt a peaceful protest,” she said.

The cooperation, which has emerged in cities across the country, is aimed both at ratcheting down tensions that might mar an otherwise peaceful protest and keeping away criminal behavior, like looting and property destruction, that could undermine the message conveyed by the peaceful protesters.

When protesters in Raleigh, N.C., were out more than an hour after the 8 p.m. curfew Wednesday, Police Chief Cassandra Deck-Brown met with a group and agreed to minimize arrests if the crowd dispersed by a deadline.

“It’s 9:23,” she said. “If I meet you part of the way, can you meet me part of the way? Can you end your march by 9:45?” she said, to a chorus of “yes!” There were no arrests, property damage or injuries Wednesday, according to the city.

In Portland, Ore., there was widespread damage downtown on the first nights of protesting, including a fire set inside the Multnomah County Justice Center, which houses courts and the jail. Daryl Turner, president of the Portland Police Association, said there is now a working arrangement between police and protesters.

“What the protest organizers are doing at the very beginning is they’re telling people, ‘If you’re in our crowd and you’re here to cause damage, we’re going to cast you out and we’re going to point you out, so when the police come, they’ll know who to arrest,’ ” said Mr. Turner, whose association represents 900 officers and dispatchers, the vast majority of the force.

Increased coordination has helped officers who feel outnumbered and overworked, after the department canceled all days off for a second week. “You have police officers who are out there, working long hours, tired, and a lot of them don’t disagree with the message,” he said. “All the help we’re getting from the people in the protest is really helping.”

As looting in Philadelphia over the weekend has yielded way to three back-to-back days of largely nonviolent assembly in the city, a few citizens have stepped up in ad hoc leadership roles to essentially self-police the crowds and keep the peace.

On Tuesday, as hundreds of people descended downtown to protest, 22-year-old Sam Barton was trying to keep people in order. He was giving an impassioned pep talk to at least a hundred protesters asking them to stay peaceful as they started to march from City Hall to the Philadelphia Art Museum.

That is when a police lieutenant pulled Mr. Barton aside. “She wanted to know where we were going so she could stop traffic so everybody could stay safe,” said Mr. Barton, a 22-year-old plumber’s apprentice, adding that she was very helpful in making sure people safely demonstrated. “They were very, very helpful to me. They understood.”

Updated: 6-6-2020

George Floyd Protests Prompt Europe To Reckon With Racist Legacies of Colonial Past

Statues of Belgium’s King Leopold II have been defaced, street names questioned and historic pageants like ‘Black Pete’ denounced.

Global protests over the killing of George Floyd are prompting some Europeans to confront their colonial past and rethink racist traditions.

In countries that once ruled most of the world—and which now have millions of immigrants from former colonies—long-revered leaders, historic figures and characters are facing intense scrutiny and criticism.

The protests have revived calls to take down symbols of colonial oppression that have long been controversial and tackle the persistent discrimination and racism in several European nations, including the U.K., Germany, France and Spain. Across Europe, statues have been defaced, street names questioned and historic pageants pilloried on an exceptional scale.

An inspiration, aside from the U.S. protests, was the announcement by Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam on Thursday that the state will address its past in the slave-owning Confederacy by removing a large statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee in Richmond.

In Belgium, which controlled and exploited the Congo for decades, calls are increasing to remove statues of King Leopold II, who established the colony as his personal territory in the 1880s and was responsible for the death and mutilation of millions of people there.

A bust of Leopold II in Ghent on Tuesday was covered with a cloth and painted in red with the words, “I can’t breathe,” Mr. Floyd’s last words before he was killed by a Minneapolis policeman who knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes.

Statues of the king in other Belgian cities were burned or covered with red paint symbolizing blood. The Brussels City Council on Monday will address a petition that gathered 45,000 signatures in four days, demanding the removal of all statues of Leopold II.

In the Netherlands, an early colonial power whose trading companies were instrumental in carrying African slaves to America for more than two centuries, the prime minister has acknowledged racism as a problem following massive antiracism demonstrations.

“It’s not just an American phenomenon,” Prime Minister Mark Rutte said. “It’s also a Dutch problem. There is racism here, too. There is discrimination here, too.”

Mr. Rutte on Thursday abandoned his yearslong support for the traditional Dutch Christmastime character known as Black Pete. The mischievous sidekick to Santa Claus, clad in a Renaissance-era costume, is usually portrayed by a white boy in blackface, curly black wig, red lipstick and big golden earrings—a costume reminiscent of the slave trade.

The character, also common in the Dutch-speaking Flanders region of Belgium, has become increasingly controversial over recent years. Mr. Rutte and many others have rejected charges that it is racist.

“I was part of the group that said Black Pete is black” and so not racist, Mr. Rutte told Parliament on Thursday. “But I’ve met many people with dark skin color who said they feel incredibly discriminated against. And that’s the last thing you want with Santa Claus celebrations,” he said, adding that it wasn’t up to the government, but to society itself to change the tradition.

In 2014, Mr. Rutte described Black Pete as “an old children’s tradition” when asked about his support for it. “It is not Green Pete or Brown Pete, it is Black Pete, so I cannot change that.” He complained of spending days cleaning his face after playing Black Pete.

In recent years, Black Pete has become a rallying point for far-right groups who protest, sometimes violently, against anti-Black Pete demonstrators each December.

Changing racist attitudes will be a long process, but having the prime minister publicly change his mind is an important step, said Linda Nooitmeer, who chairs the National Institute for the Study of Dutch Slavery and its Legacy.

“When the prime minister acknowledges there is institutional racism, it’s a big thing,” she said. “This may inspire European leaders and citizens to look at their own history and their position during slavery.”

In Spain, Afroféminas, a feminist organization participating in Floyd protests, is calling for the abolition of a blackface festival in Alcoy in southeastern Spain. Every January, thousands of teenagers paint their faces black and their lips bright red and dress up as royal pages for the Three Kings Parade. The procession winds through the city, commemorating the Three Wise Men who followed a star through the desert to reach Jesus’ birthplace.

“Blackface is still being put on in so many public schools,” said Afroféminas Director Antoinette Torres Soler. “As a black mother, if I point that out, it means I’m drawing the antipathy of all other fathers and mothers.” She said she remains undeterred.

In Portugal, Parliament on Friday approved three draft resolutions to tackle racism. The Left Bloc party, which tabled one of them, asked for a national strategy on the issue, particularly in schools. Students from Portuguese-speaking African countries are much less likely to go to university than Portugal-born students, it said. Portugal was for centuries a colonial power, closely controlling the slave trade between Africa and Brazil.

In Berlin, the racist street name “Mohrenstrasse” was covered with a “George Floyd-Strasse” sign in recent days. Mohr is an old German word for black person, and also means simpleton. The street was named Mohrenstrasse in 1707, with one historic reference attributing it to a black slave acquired by Prussian Prince Philipp Wilhelm von Brandenburg-Schwedt. The Prussian state had three colonies in West Africa in the late 1600s and early 1700s.

In the U.K., the city council of Glasgow is reviewing the names of streets and buildings after a public petition requested they no longer celebrate slave owners.

Scottish Trade Minister Ivan McKee backed the initiative and said Glasgow could start by renaming a street for George Floyd. One of the city’s most famous streets, Buchanan Street, is named after tobacco trader Andrew Buchanan, whose family owned slave plantations in Virginia. Oswald Street is named after James Oswald, a plantation owner in America and the Caribbean and also a slave trader.

“It is about recognition, not blame, but we could take away the names of individuals who have benefited from it,” Mr. McKee said.

Protests in some of Europe’s onetime colonies also want historic racism addressed. Jacinda Ardern, prime minister of former British colony New Zealand, this week acknowledged the country’s record on relations with the indigenous Maori population, saying that “we don’t for a moment pretend to be perfect.”

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