AP PHOTOS: Massive protests punctuate a week in the streets
Posted June 06, 2020 7:00 am
They held up signs and their fists and the memory of George Floyd.
Tens of thousands of protesters marched worldwide in what could be the biggest one-day mobilization against racial injustice since a white Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee into Floyd's neck for several minutes. Even after a week of the most significant protests the U.S. has seen in a generation, Saturday's crowds stood out.
Protesters held signs with slogans saying 'œBlack Lives Matter" and 'œNo Justice No Peace" during marches that were peaceful, sometimes even festive, after previous days had devolved in chaos. Police sometimes joined protesters, kneeling in a show of solidarity.
But the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic loomed, with many protesters wearing masks to try to prevent the spread of the respiratory virus.
The showing on the streets came the same day Floyd was honored at a memorial in his home state of North Carolina, where people lined up for hours to see his gold casket.
A demonstrator attend the Chicago March for Justice in honor of George Floyd at Chicago's Union Park Saturday, June 6, 2020, in Chicago. Demonstrators who gathered at Union Park marched through the city's West Side on Saturday afternoon, as the city prepared for another weekend of rallies. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
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People pay their respects during a memorial service for George Floyd, Saturday, June 6, 2020, in Raeford, N.C. Floyd died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on May 25. (Ed Clemente/The Fayetteville Observer via AP, Pool)
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People pay their respects during a memorial service for George Floyd, Saturday, June 6, 2020, in Raeford, N.C. Floyd died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on May 25. (Ed Clemente/The Fayetteville Observer via AP, Pool)
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The casket of George Floyd arrives inside the church for a memorial service Saturday, June 6, 2020, in Raeford, N.C. Floyd died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on May 25. (Ed Clemente/The Fayetteville Observer via AP, Pool)
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The casket of George Floyd is set inside the church for a memorial service Saturday, June 6, 2020, in Raeford, N.C. Floyd died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on May 25. (Ed Clemente/The Fayetteville Observer via AP, Pool)
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Demonstrators march for Justice in honor of George Floyd on Ashland Avenue Saturday, June 6, 2020, in Chicago. Demonstrators who gathered at Union Park marched through the city's West Side on Saturday afternoon, as the city prepared for another weekend of rallies. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
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A demonstrator cheers during the Chicago March for Justice in honor of George Floyd in Chicago, Saturday, June 6, 2020. Demonstrators who gathered at Union Park marched through the city's West Side on Saturday afternoon, as the city prepared for another weekend of rallies. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
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People kneel during a protest over the death of George Floyd, Saturday, June 6, 2020, in Miami. Protests continue throughout the country over the death of Floyd, a black man who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on May 25 (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
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A woman carries a bouquet of flowers as she marches during a protest over the death of George Floyd, Saturday, June 6, 2020, in Miami. Protests continue throughout the country over the death of Floyd, a black man who died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on May 25. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
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A demonstrator wipes tears from her eyes during 8 minutes and 46 seconds of silence during a protest, Saturday, June 6, 2020, in Simi Valley, Calif., over the death of George Floyd. Floyd died after he was restrained in police custody on Memorial Day in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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Members of the Austin Police Department kneel in front of demonstrators who gathered in Austin, Texas, Saturday, June 6, 2020, to protest the death of George Floyd, a black man who was in police custody in Minneapolis. Floyd died after being restrained by Minneapolis police officers on Memorial Day. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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Ypsilanti, Michigan Police Chief Tony DeGiusti shakes hands with a protestor while taking a knee with demonstrators in a moment of solidarity during a police brutality protest in downtown Ypsilanti, Mich., Saturday, June 6, 2020. ( Jenna Kieser/Ann Arbor News via AP)
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People take a knee while marching on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Saturday, June 6, 2020, at a protest over the Memorial Day death of George Floyd. Floyd died May 25 after being restrained by Minneapolis police. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
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Marchers walk to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Saturday, June 6, 2020, at a protest over the Memorial Day death of George Floyd. Floyd died May 25 after being restrained by Minneapolis police. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
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A man speaks into a megaphone while standing with others on the center divider as traffic is stopped on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Saturday, June 6, 2020, at a protest over the death of George Floyd. Floyd died May 25 after being restrained by Minneapolis police. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
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