The death of an African American man, George Floyd, at the hands of a white police officer in the United States has prompted protests in German cities, with 1,500 taking to the streets of Berlin on Monday.
Some 350 people protested against police brutality in the southern city of Munich late Saturday, police said on Monday, adding that “with the exception of an insult against a police officer,” it had been a peaceful event.
The crowd of Berlin protesters included families with children, with some carrying banners reading “I can’t breathe, Justice for George Floyd” and “Being black is not a crime.”
The news comes after some 200 people gathered at Berlin’s iconic Brandenburg Gate for a “commemorative march against police violence in the United States” and around 2,000 people protested outside the US embassy.
Several Bundesliga players took the opportunity to show their support for the protests in weekend matches.
Schalke’s Weston McKennie wore an armband with “Justice for George,” while Borussia Dortmund duo Jadon Sancho and Achraf Hakimi revealed vests with the message “Justice for George Floyd” after scoring.
Borussia Moenchengladbach’s Marcus Thuram meanwhile took a knee after scoring, mimicking the 2016 protest by former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
Last week, footage of George Floyd being suffocated under the knee of a white police officer in Minneapolis set off shock, anger and protests across the US.
His subsequent death, amid a public health crisis and a severe economic crisis, has become the latest in a series of upheavals plaguing the country in 2020.
