Protesters in London, Berlin, Toronto take to streets in support of George Floyd demonstrations

Demonstrators around the world, including in London, Berlin and Toronto, took to the streets in support of the U.S. protests continuing across the country.

The U.S. riots have captured the attention of people around the world, with photos of burning cars and riot police seen prominently on many newspaper front pages, even as the coronavirus pandemic continues. 

In London, thousands of people rallied on Sunday chanting “No justice! No peace!” and holding placards that said “How many more?” The Associated Press reported. The demonstrators violated U.K. restrictions against crowds because of the pandemic, but police did not stop them.

London protesters encouraged others to “knee for Floyd,” even if they couldn’t come in person, and also held a sit-in protest at the U.S. Embassy, Variety reported. Another demonstration on Saturday took place in Peckham, south London on Saturday and at a certain time stopped all traffic on the main road. 

The demonstrations were not organized by Black Lives Matter U.K. group, which said in a Twitter statement that it is “discussing the implications of calling a mass march in the middle of a pandemic that is killing us the most.” But it said it “stands in solidarity with all those whose hearts feel broken” from Floyd’s death.

We have no affiliation with the #LDNBLM group and any of the BLM London accounts. We are currently discussing the implications of calling a mass march in the middle of a pandemic that is killing us the most. Solidarity with our fam & siblings across the Globe. ✊

— #BlackLivesMatterUK (@ukblm) May 30, 2020

Elsewhere in Europe, several hundred people gathered on Saturday for a “Justice for George Floyd” demonstration at the U.S. Embassy in Berlin. Several hundred people also took to the streets in the capital city on Sunday, without incidents being reported, according to the AP.

Thousands of others got together in Toronto’s Christie Pitts Park on Saturday to protest both Floyd’s and Regis Korchinski-Paquet’s deaths. Korchinski-Paquet died last week after falling from her 24th-floor balcony following a police call to her home. Toronto Police are investigating the incident, according to Variety.

People in Denmark also headed to the U.S. Embassy on Sunday holding signs that said messages like “Stop Killing Black People.” 

Floyd died in Minneapolis after being detained by police last week. A former officer was shown kneeling on Floyd’s neck in a recorded video for about nine minutes as Floyd said he couldn’t breathe and then became unresponsive.

The officer Derek Chauvin was fired, along with three others, and Chauvin was charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter on Friday. 

The U.S. is preparing for its sixth night of protests after Floyd’s death.