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01st Jun 2020

Thousands gather for anti-racism protest in Dublin city centre

Carl Kinsella

Anti-racism

There’s been a major turnout.

Large crowds have gathered beneath the Spire on O’Connell Street in Dublin on Monday afternoon (1 June), as part of a demonstration in solidarity with anti-racism protests happening throughout the United States, and the world over.

The death of George Floyd, a black man who died after a Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin used his knee to crush Floyd’s neck, while three other officers looked on, has served as the catalyst for these demonstrations. Chauvin has since been arrested and charged with murder in the third degree, and manslaughter.

Such demonstrations in the United States have been met with further police violence; including the use of rubber bullets, pepper-spray and tear gas. The brutality has inspired marches in many other cities around the world.

In Dublin this afternoon, marchers held up placards bearing messages such as “All Lives Don’t Matter Until Black Lives Matter,” and participated in chants such as “I can’t breathe,” that have become associated with the mistreatment of black people by American law enforcement.

Today’s march, which was organised by Irish rapper JyellowL, did not just reference race relations in the United States, but also saw people protesting racial issues here in Ireland, such as direct provision.

The march began on O’Connell Street and is making its way to the US Embassy in Ballsbridge.

A separate vigil was held outside the embassy yesterday, a Democrats Abroad Ireland will participate in a global video Black Lives Matter vigil between 6pm and 9pm tomorrow.

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