Crowds protest against anti-black racism, police impunity in Montreal
Posted May 31, 2020 06:54:09 PM.
Last Updated May 31, 2020 07:00:08 PM.
MONTREAL — Crowds rallied at a Montreal anti-racism protest demanding justice for a black Minnesota man who died following a police intervention last week and other victims of police violence.
Demonstrators gathered in the shadow of Montreal police headquarters downtown to denounce racist violence and police impunity.
George Floyd died in Minneapolis on Monday after pleading for air while a white police officer pressed a knee on his neck.
His death has sparked nightly protests in major U.S. cities.
The Montreal rally is a solidarity gathering with American anti-racism activists, but organizers say it is also an opportunity to express their own anger at the treatment of racialized people in Quebec and elsewhere in Canada.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, organizers said they have chose a spot where a two-metre distance can be maintained and even had masks available.
But the numbers attending made distancing difficult at best.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 31, 2020.
The Canadian Press
