Britons 'take the knee' in tribute to George Floyd and other victims of racism

Thousands of largely peaceful demonstrators marched in London and around the world on Wednesday against the death of Afro-American father of two George Floyd at the hands of US police.

The day threatened to be marred when police were attacked in Whitehall, after hours of angry and passionate but non-violent demonstrations.

Scotland Yard said 13 people were arrested, including two men who were arrested on suspicion of attacking an emergency worker after police officers were punched and objects thrown when a minority of protestors laid siege to Downing Street.

Thousands around the world had earlier ‘taken the knee’ in memory of Mr Floyd and the hundreds of other unarmed black people killed every year by police in the US.

Copying the gesture devised by the American football star Colin Kaepernick in 2016, protestors in London’s Hyde Park dropped to one knee and bowed their heads to demonstrate against anti-black violence.

A small number of activists wearing hoods and face masks later scuffled with police outside the gates to No. 10 and bottles and placards were thrown at officers, some of whom had earlier shown their support by themselves taking the knee.

At one stage a group of protesters daubed the outside of the Cabinet Office with "BLM", standing for Black Lives Matter, in black paint.

Sporadic fighting continued into the evening, while at the same time a peaceful protest continued in Parliament Square, with chants of “I can’t breathe” and “black lives matter” echoing across the famous green.

The demonstration had begun in Hyde Park, where the Star Wars actor John Boyega earlier told the crowd: "I need you to understand how painful this s--t is. I need you to understand how painful it is to be reminded every day that your race means nothing and that isn't the case anymore, that was never the case anymore.

"We are a physical representation of our support for George Floyd. We are a physical representation of our support for Sandra Bland. We are a physical representation of our support for Trayvon Martin. We are a physical representation of our support for Stephen Lawrence."

Boyega, who later joined the protesters outside Parliament, added: "I'm speaking to you from my heart. It is very, very important that we keep control of this moment. That we make this as peaceful and as organised as possible.”

Several thousand people had gathered in the park from midday - many trying in vain to maintain social distancing and wearing masks and gloves - to express their anger at the death of Mr Floyd at the hands of a white policeman who knelt on his neck.

It came as Prime Minister Boris Johnson told Parliament the death of Mr Floyd was “appalling” and "inexcusable" and that he understood why people were demonstrating.

The chant of “I can’t breathe” rang out around Hyde Park and in cities as far afield as Paris, Sydney, The Hague and Tel Aviv, echoing the father of two’s last words as he died on a Minneapolis sidewalk nine days ago.

Pointing to his black tee shirt emblazoned with those chilling, words Kaled Smith, a 17-year-old student from Essex sitting next to his parents in Hyde Park, told The Telegraph: “I came here today because it is important to be part of my community and fight for what is right. Black lives matter everywhere. While we are protesting about the death of George Floyd in America, we are still trying to get a message cross to everyone - black lives matter.”

Despite being a teenager, Kaled says he has been stopped and searched by police while his white friends look on.

“It’s embarrassing,” he said. “It’s only me and my black friends who are stopped. We are all equal and want to be treated equally.”

Dr Gail Lewis, a psychotherapist and academic, admitted a sense of sadness that she has been protesting “for decades” about the rights of black people in the UK.

“I have been going on anti-racist demos since I was knee high. I am here because the fact black lives matter isn’t recognised in this country and America,” the 69-year-old said.

“That black and other racial minorities are overrepresented among deaths from Covid-19 shows why we need to be here. These deaths from coronavirus are because of racial segregation in this country. We are being pushed into those jobs, which are low paid and wrongly described as unskilled. “

As the crowd made its way towards Parliament, bus and taxi drivers beeped their horns in support. Outside the gates of Downing Street the demonstrators stopped to chant ‘No Justice, No Peace’ before kneeling en masse.

The mood outside Downing St later turned ugly, with some of the demonstrators throwing placards and water filled bottles, apparently angry at police attempts to arrest a man in the crowd.

Sticks were also thrown and at least one Met Police officer was reportedly punched in the face, shortly after some of his colleagues had also taken the knee alongside protestors.

The scuffles, during which one officer was hit by a crutch wielded by a protestor, were short lived, but tension remained high on Whitehall into the early evening.

At the same time there were moving scenes in Brixton, south London, where people took the knee in Windrush Square, dedicated to the early migrants from the Caribbean.

Protesters in Paris also took the knee in front of the city’s main courthouse, where they remembered not only Mr Floyd but also Adama Traoré, a French black man who died in police custody in 2016.

Riot police fired volleys of tear gas at the protesters, who had gathered despite a coronavirus-related ban on protests.

At a protest in The Hague stories were recounted about people of color who died at the hands of police officers.

Around 3,000 people in Sydney chanted "I can't breathe" as they marched to remember Mr Floyd and call for a radical change in Australia's treatment of its indigenous population, particularly by police.

In Tel Aviv, more than 200 protesters assembled outside the US diplomatic mission, while outside the American consulate in Milan protesters placed their hands around their necks and held signs saying "I can't breathe".