May 30, 2020, 7:00 PM

Anti-racism protests turned US into battlefield

TEHRAN, May 30 (MNA) – George Floyd’s death by the US police has caused a ripple of protests throughout the US, turning the country into a battlefield between police and demonstrators.

Following the tragic death of an American black man on May 25, 2020, due to the violence of a white Minneapolis police officer, hundreds of people have hit the streets across the US to protest against this behavior of the American police.

Rallies have turned violent in Los Angeles and Minneapolis, where the police have fired tear gas and rubber bullets against the demonstrators.

These protests came after disturbing footage surfaced online showing the police officer, Derek Chauvin, choking unarmed George Floyd to death after forcing him to the ground and pinning him down with his knee.

The officer refused to relieve the pressure, although Floyd was being heard repeatedly pleading for his life and saying, “I can’t breathe.”

The US President Donald Trump blamed the unrest on "thugs" in a tweet that was later hidden by Twitter for "glorifying violence."

Former President Barack Obama has released a statement on the death of George Floyd and is pleading for Americans to open their eyes to the ongoing racial injustice that plagues the country.

Demonstrators entered Minneapolis' 3rd Precinct Station

Protesters throw a mattress onto a burning car Thursday near the 3rd Precinct

Demonstrators stand outside the 3rd Precinct after it was set on fire in Minneapolis on May 28

A police officer aims a gun at protesters

Protesters kneel in front of the police gathered behind a barricade outside the precinct

Protesters use shopping carts as a barricade outside the precinct on Wednesday

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News ID 159236

Zahra Mirzafarjouyan