Summary

  • Protests in major cities across the US, including New York and Washington, have been largely peaceful

  • Demonstrators defy curfews in dozens of cities as civil unrest continues for an eighth night

  • Thousands have marched through Houston, Texas, including family members of George Floyd

  • And in Washington DC, some 1,600 active soldiers have been flown in to bases around the city

  • President Trump earlier said he would deploy the army if cities and states failed to control the protests

  1. New York City latest to announce curfewpublished at 21:27 British Summer Time 1 June 2020

    Mayor Bill de BlasioImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio

    New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio have announced a citywide curfew, lasting from 23:00 to 05:00 (3:00 to 9:00 GMT) tomorrow.

    The curfew follows looting and property damage in Manhattan and Brooklyn on Sunday, after mostly peaceful protests. Hundreds of people were arrested.

    Officials said they will double the city's police presence to prevent violence and damage to property.

    "I stand behind the protestors and their message, but unfortunately there are people who are looking to distract and discredit this moment," Cuomo said, adding that the violence only undermines the cause.

    Mayor de Blasio said he and the police commissioner have also discussed recent incidents "where officers didn't uphold the values of this city", and that information on accountability measures would come later today.

    In Minnesota, where Floyd was killed, Governor Tim Walz has ordered a curfew in the twin cities of Minneapolis and St Paul from 22:00 until 04:00, through Tuesday.

  2. 'I'm tired of being afraid'published at 21:17 British Summer Time 1 June 2020

    We've seen six days of protests across the US.

    "I'm tired of hearing of black people dying, I'm tired of being afraid," one protester said.

    Check out our video below to hear more from demonstrators across the country about why they've taken to the streets.

    Media caption,

    George Floyd death: 'This is why we are protesting'

  3. Floyd family attorney demands charges against officerspublished at 21:12 British Summer Time 1 June 2020

    "For George Floyd, the ambulance was his hearse," said Floyd family lawyer Benjamin Crump in a statement.

    Fired police officer Derek Chauvin faces a third-degree murder charge.

    The city named the three other sacked officers involved as Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J Alexander Kueng. They have not been charged.

    Floyd's family has called for all four officers to be charged with murder. Prosecutors say they are still investigating the case.

    "What we know is this: George Floyd was alive before his encounter with Derek Chauvin and his fellow officers, and he was dead shortly after that," said Crump, referring to the results of an independent autopsy ordered by Floyd's family and released today.

    But the attorney also said the "looting and violence are absolutely unacceptable".

    "They were unacceptable to George and they must be unacceptable to us. As a country, we need to take a deep breath. George Floyd wasn't allowed that, but we must."

  4. Floyd independent autopsy results inpublished at 20:53 British Summer Time 1 June 2020
    Breaking

    An independent autopsy ordered by George Floyd's family suggests that he died of "mechanical asphyxia".

    Two medical examiners said the compression on Floyd's back and neck prevented the bloodflow to his brain and airflow to his lungs.

    The second examiner, Dr Michael Baden said the autopsy showed "no underlying medical problem that caused or contributed to his death".

    A preliminary medical examiner report cited in the criminal complaint had suggested a number of factors, including Floyd's underlying heart conditions and potential intoxicants had played a role in his death.

    Benjamin Crump, an attorney for Floyd's family said: "George died because he needed a breath of air."

  5. White House defends Trump's responsepublished at 20:43 British Summer Time 1 June 2020

    Kayleigh McEnanyImage source, White House

    White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany has defended President Trump's response to the unrest, saying he recognises injustices and that his tweet about dominating with police was taken out of context.

    She told reporters police lines have been "overwhelmed by massive protests that have turned into riots".

    "The president has said he wants to dominate the streets with national guard, with the police presence."

    McEnany also said "additional federal assets" will be deployed, and there would be a "central command centre in commission with the state and local governments" that will include General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Attorney General William Barr.

    "We're looking at every tool in the federal tool kit," she said, but did not offer more details.

    When questioned about Trump's lack of a national address (as former presidents have done during such times), McEnany said statements "don't stop anarchy".

    Later, she added: "This president has not been silent and at this moment he's acting to protect this country."

  6. Misleading footage and conspiracy theories spread onlinepublished at 20:36 British Summer Time 1 June 2020

    Reality Check

    The BBC's anti-disinformation team has been tracking misleading videos and conspiracy theories about the protests, which have been circulating online.

    They've seen lots of examples of old video surfacing in recent days, adding to the confusion online.

    A video of a teenager being violently arrested by a US police officer has generated almost 10 million views in the last few days - but it actually was recorded back in April.

    Videos have been posted that show other events from years ago - or from other countries altogether - falsely claiming to be recent footage.

    There have also been false claims circulating online that billionaire George Soros or the Russian government are behind the protests.

    The protests began last week after the death of George Floyd, which was recorded by bystanders as a Minneapolis officer kneeled on his neck for more than eight minutes.

    Read more here:

    George Floyd protests: Misleading footage and conspiracy theories spread online

  7. Civil liberties group reminds people to record policepublished at 20:19 British Summer Time 1 June 2020

    The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is reminding protesters and the public that they have developed an app for filming police, which automatically uploads the video to the group's servers.

    The "Mobile Justice" app was created in 2015. It sends video directly to the ACLU in the event that a phone is seized or broken.

    "There is no doubt that moments like these highlight the importance of the app," Marcus Benigno, an ACLU spokesman, told CNN.

    "Without a video of the unfortunate and tragic incident, we probably wouldn't even know George Floyd's name."

  8. When police 'take a knee' in solidaritypublished at 20:06 British Summer Time 1 June 2020

    BBC OS

    Two New York City police officers take a knee during a demonstration by protesters in Times Square over the death of George FloydImage source, AFP via Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Two New York City police officers take a knee during a demonstration by protesters in Times Square over the death of George Floyd

    Some of the US protests have turned violent - but people online are drawing attention to the positive stories coming out of the demonstrations.

    That includes several examples of videos and photos of police officers kneeling with protesters.

    One of those moments was from a protest in New York over the weekend.

    It's a symbolic act, as some American athletes have "taken the knee" during the US national anthem in the past few years in protest at police brutality.

    A video capturing that moment, taken by Aleeia Abraham, was published on Sunday and has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times on Facebook.

    “Some people are saying maybe they [the police] were told to do this to stop the violent riots," she told BBC OS.

    The video shows police kneeling alongside some protesters as they chant the names of black American men who have died in interactions with police in recent years.

    "We weren’t a violent crowd – we made that clear early on. But I don’t know why they did it. We never got to have that conversation. Did it mean they finally heard us and they understood? Was it just something to do so we wouldn’t become violent or to calm us down, to pacify us?," she said.

    “I hope this is a change. It’s an awesome step in the right direction."

  9. Black Americans and police: What does the data show?published at 19:52 British Summer Time 1 June 2020

    Reality Check

    BBC Reality Check has looked at some of the data on crime and justice in the US, and what it shows about the experience of African Americans when it comes to law and order.

    Figures show that although African Americans made up less than 14% of the US population in 2019 (according to official census figures), they accounted for more than 23% of the just over 1,000 fatal shootings by the police.

    Graphic showing police killingsImage source, BBC News

    African Americans are also arrested for drugs at a much higher rate than white Americans, although surveys show drug use at similar levels.

    Read more:

    George Floyd: What does the data show about race and policing?

  10. Kenya columnist's satiric take on US protestspublished at 19:37 British Summer Time 1 June 2020

    A police vehicle ablaze in the USImage source, EPA
    Image caption,

    Violence has erupted in cities across the US over George Floyd's death

    A Kenyan writer has taken a satirical swipe at the civil unrest across the US, sparked by the death in police custody of African American George Floyd, using language often used to describe conflicts in Africa.

    Patrick Gathara took to Twitter to joke that African leaders had told the US government "to exercise restraint", with warnings that the protests could "degenerate into inter-ethnic clashes".

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    "Most African journalists are barred from entering the troubled, oil-rich nation of over 330 million people, but unverified reports from local journalists as well as amateur video posted on social media indicate more casualties as protesters are met with brute force," he said in one of a series of tweets.

    With reference to the coronavirus pandemic as well as the ongoing riots, Gathara he said that the US was "riven by disease and tribal hatreds, with its long-suffering people in open revolt".

    In a parody of how global powers reacted to the Arab Spring protests, Gathara suggested that the African Union was considering deploying peacekeepers to the "troubled nation" to protect #AmericanSpring protesters.

  11. George Floyd's brother visits Minneapolis memorial sitepublished at 19:36 British Summer Time 1 June 2020

    Terrence Floyd has visited the site in Minneapolis where his brother George was arrested and killed a week ago, and where a prayer vigil was being held.

    He told protesters that his brother would have wanted demonstrations to be held peacefully, and that riots would not bring him back.

    Protesters should instead "educate yourself, and know who you're voting for. That's how we're going to hit them," Terrence said. "Let's switch it up."

    His late brother has been described by those who knew him as a "person of peace" and a "gentle giant" who would not have condoned violence.

    Terrence Floyd, brother of George Floyd, reacts at a makeshift memorial honouring George Floyd in Minneapolis, MinnesotaImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    Terrence Floyd, center, in white, says his brother was about 'peace and unity'

    Terrence Floyd leads a prayer vigil at his brother's memorial siteImage source, Reuters
  12. Was there a blackout in Washington DC?published at 19:25 British Summer Time 1 June 2020

    BBC Monitoring
    The world through its media

    A viral hashtag #dcblackout claims that communications in or out of Washington DC were shut down overnight to control the protests.

    Over the course of just a few hours, it has garnered more than 500,000 tweets and become a global trend on Twitter.

    But there is no evidence to support the claim.

    The earliest mention of the hashtag on Twitter can be traced back to the early hours of Monday.

    Rumours about a blackout also emerged on Facebook at around the same time and later spread to Instagram.

    The internet monitoring service Net Blocks confirmed today that there was no indication of a “mass-scale internet disruption overnight” in the city.

    Some of the most shared posts were sent by users who were not based in Washington DC or the US. However, it seems to have been a rumour that caught people’s attention and went viral, as thousands of people have posted about it.

  13. Monday morning cleanups around the countrypublished at 19:09 British Summer Time 1 June 2020

    Protests that turned to chaos left cities across the US in shambles, but some citizens have come out to pick up the pieces.

    A worker cleans graffiti from the headquarters of the AFL-CIO union, the largest union in the USImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    A worker cleans graffiti from the Washington DC headquarters of the AFL-CIO union, the largest union in the US

    A volunteer in Long Beach, California, helps a shopkeeper clean up a Hot Topics clothing storeImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    A volunteer in Long Beach, California, helps a shopkeeper clean up a Hot Topics clothing store

    The interior of an Urban Outfitters in New York City, which was looted overnightImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    The interior of an Urban Outfitters in New York City, which was looted overnight

    Dolce & Gabanna in downtown Manhattan was also ransackedImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Residents assess the damage at a ransacked Dolce & Gabanna in downtown Manhattan

    A man outside the White House appeared to be picking up rubbish to throw in a binImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    A man outside the White House appeared to be picking up rubbish to throw in a bin

  14. A president’s ‘safe space’published at 19:03 British Summer Time 1 June 2020

    Tara McKelvey
    BBC News, Washington

    When hundreds of protestors gathered at Lafayette Square across from the White House on Sunday night, the president reportedly hid in a bunker beneath the building.

    The place is known as the PEOC, which stands for the Presidential Emergency Operations Centre. It is designed to withstand nuclear detonation, and it has a long, secretive history.

    A presidential bunker was originally built for Franklin Delano Roosevelt during World War Two, in case the Germans attacked the White House.

    A larger area was dug out during the Truman administration in the 1950s.

    Afterwards a bunker was built in the area underneath the East Wing of the White House.

    Vice-President Dick Cheney stayed there on 9/11, meeting with his advisors within the fortified walls (President Bush spent the day on Air Force One).

    Trump emerged from the White House bunker after a short period of time. But the place offers peace of mind: if things get bad again, he can always go back.

    Workers enlarging the bunker in the 1950sImage source, Harry S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum
    Image caption,

    A larger 'bunker' was built while Harry S Truman was president

    Vice-President Dick Cheney and White House staff in the PEOC during 9/11Image source, US national archives
    Image caption,

    Vice-President Dick Cheney and White House staff in the PEOC during 9/11

  15. FBI and Riot police set up around USpublished at 18:53 British Summer Time 1 June 2020

    US Attorney General William Barr has sent riot control teams from the Federal Bureau of Prisons to Miami and Washington DC, according to US media, to help local law enforcement quell protests.

    The FBI has reportedly set up each of its field offices as command posts.

    The FBI also has deployed its Hostage Rescue Unit to help in Washington DC where protesters have caused “significant damage in the downtown areas," Mayor Muriel Bowser as she announced a two-day extension of the city's curfew on Monday.

    “Smashed windows and looting are becoming a bigger story than the broken system that got [us] here,” she warned.

  16. Solidarity protests continue around the worldpublished at 18:42 British Summer Time 1 June 2020

    Protesters in MilanImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    People demonstrating outside the US Consulate in Milan, Italy

    The protests sparked by George Floyd's death in the US have seen solidarity demonstrations around the globe.

    In Amsterdam on Monday, thousands of people rallied at the Dam Square. Reuters reported, external some 10,000 people filled the square, chanting "black lives matter" and "no justice, no peace".

    No violence was reported from the crowd.

    Demonstrations have also taken place - and are planned - in London, Copenhagen, Berlin, and Milan, as well as in several cities across New Zealand and Canada.

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    Protesters march during a 'Black Lives Matter' demonstration on June 01, 2020 in London, EnglandImage source, Getty Images
    Image caption,

    Protesters marching in London

  17. Minnesota governor responds to Trump's 'weak' remarkpublished at 18:29 British Summer Time 1 June 2020

    Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has disclosed that he responded to President Trump's criticisms during a conference call with governors on Monday morning.

    He said he told the president: "No one is laughing here. We're in pain."

    It comes after Trump reportedly called governors "weak" and said the world was "laughing" at them.

    The governor refused to confirm that Trump called him weak, but said: "I think those were the words."

    "It was a hard conversation today," he continued, adding that governors are looking to his state, where protests first began before spreading nationally, much like states have looked to New York to better understand Covid-19.

    Audio of the phone call with governors has emerged, in which the president is heard disparaging governors and calling for a tougher response from police.

  18. Corporate America reactspublished at 18:16 British Summer Time 1 June 2020

    Major US companies have urged Americans to join forces to tackle racism.

    Nike released a one-minute video titled For Once, Don’t Do It. "Don't pretend there's not a problem in America. Don't turn your back on racism," it said.

    In a memo to staff, Apple's CEO Tim Cook acknowledged that racial injustice still existed in America.

    "We see it in our criminal justice system, in the disproportionate toll of disease on Black and Brown communities, in the inequalities in neighbourhood services and the educations our children receive.

    "We can have no society worth celebrating unless we can guarantee freedom from fear for every person who gives this country their love, labour and life," Cook said.

    Walmart President and CEO Doug McMillon urged Americans to "remain vigilant in standing together against racism and discrimination.

    "Doing so is not only at the heart of the values of our company, it’s at the core of the most basic principles of human rights, dignity and justice," he wrote in a memo to employees.

    Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri said: "We hear you, we see you, and we are with you. We stand against racism. We stand with our black community. We stand with all those working toward justice."

    Even Goldman Sachs Chairman and CEO David Solomon encouraged employees not to be silent.

    "I know it in my gut - and I know it from many of you who have reached out - the many of you for whom these types of words and deeds are particularly and personally painful," he said.

  19. Minnesota governor holds briefingpublished at 18:07 British Summer Time 1 June 2020

    Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is speaking now, where he says that days of violent protests appear to be subsiding.

    "I don't want to paint a picture that this is over," he says, adding: "You can feel a sense of optimism coming back."

    "For the second night, we've had the security and order on our streets. It's been a very tough week," he says, adding that his curfew order is being extended but now only between the hours of 22:00 to 4:00 local time (3:00 GMT to 9:00 GMT).

    Walz says that the funeral of unarmed black man George Floyd, who died in police custody, is scheduled for Thursday.

    "It will be an important event, both for the city of Minneapolis and for the nation, he says, adding that the world will "watch that process of celebrating the life that was taken in front of us".

    He added that the lorry driver who charged a crowd of peaceful protesters yesterday was protected from harm by the very people who he had put in danger.

    "Peaceful protesters protected this person who at the time appeared to have attempted to kill them," he says in disbelief.

    He also called on protesters who experience coronavirus symptoms to self-quarantine and said the state will begin contact tracing.

    'I have not wrapped my mind around what would look like in this size," he says about efforts to trace infections in the community.

    Minnesota Gov Tim Walz provides an update on the investigation into the death of George Floyd in Minnesota on 27 MayImage source, Pool via REUTERS
  20. 'Unacceptable' attacks on reporters at protestspublished at 18:06 British Summer Time 1 June 2020

    person using milk to alleviate tear gasImage source, AFP

    Dozens of journalists covering the protests in the US have reported being targeted by authorities using tear gas, rubber bullets and pepper spray.

    In many cases, they said it was despite showing clear press credentials. Attacks on journalists carried out by protesters have also been reported.

    “Targeted attacks on journalists, media crews, and news organisations covering the demonstrations show a complete disregard for their critical role in documenting issues of public interest and are an unacceptable attempt to intimidate them,” said Committee to Protect Journalists Program Director Carlos Martínez de la Serna.

    The US Press Freedom Tracker, a non-profit project, offered some perspective on the number of attacks.

    The group has documented as many as 150 press freedom violations per year for the last three years. They are now investigating over 100 from the last three days.

    Read the full story here.