Thousands of people have rallied near Paris to mark four years since the death in custody of Adama Traore. His case, bolstered by the Black Lives Matter movement, has put renewed focus on alleged police racism in France.
Image: Reuters/G. Fuentes
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Several thousand protesters marched through the town of Val-d'Oise, outside Paris, on Saturday to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the death of Adama Traore, a Black man who died in police custody.
The 24-year-old fainted after being pinned to the ground by officers during his arrest in July 2016 and later died at a police station.
Chanting "No justice, no peace!" the crowd marched behind a banner showing Traore's face together with that of George Floyd, a Black man who died after being choked by a white police officer in the US city of Minneapolis in May sparking Black Lives Matter demonstrations around the world.
Protests against racism, police brutality around the world
People around the world took to the streets following the killing of George Floyd to demonstrate against racial inequality and police violence.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/R. Schmidt
Washington, DC
One of the largest rallies in the United States was held in the capital, Washington, DC, where thousands of people of all colors took to the streets near the White House, which was barricaded with black metal grates.
Image: Getty Images/D. Angerer
New York City
Thousands of protesters in New York City gathered in the city's squares and parks to demonstrate.
Image: imago images/Bildbyran/J. Marklund
Berlin
People in the German capital sat in silent protest for 8 minutes and 46 seconds — the amount of time a white police officer kneeled on George Floyd's neck before he lost consciousness as three other officers stood nearby.
Image: Getty Images/M. Hitij
Munich
Some 30,000 people assembled at Munich's Königsplatz to show solidarity with other protesters and the Black Lives Matter movement.
Image: picture-alliance/ZUMAPRESS/S. Babbar
St. Petersburg, Florida
People of St. Petersburg in the US state of Florida went out in the rain to make their voices heard.
Image: imago images/ZUMA Wire/D. Shadd
Paris
Hundreds of people gathered in Paris defying a police ban on large protests. Members of the multiracial crowd chanted the name of Adama Traore, a black man whose death while in police custody has been likened by critics to Floyd's death.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/A.-C. Poujoulat
Manchester
Many protesters, including some of these in the English city of Manchester, wore protective face masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/P. Ellis
Basel
Arond 5,000 people gathered in Basel, Switzerland, in a Black Lives Matter demonstration there.
Image: picture-alliance/KEYSTONE/G. Kefalas
Adelaide
Crowds filled Victoria Square in Adelaide after receiving special permission for the event. The march through the southern Australian city was held after police Commissioner Grant Stevens approved the rally on Friday. "This is a unique and extraordinary event. There is a sentiment that suggests people should have a right to protest on significant matters,'' Stevens said.
Image: Getty Images/T. Nearmy
Tunis
In Tunis, Tunisia, hundreds of protesters chanted: "We want justice! We want to breathe!"
Image: Getty Images/AFP/F. Belaid
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'No man should die like that'
Traore's case has become a symbol for the campaign against discrimination and police violence in France and has gained new momentum in the wake of the Floyd-inspired anti-racism protests.
The circumstances leading up to Traore's death remain unclear. Since 2016, his family has been seeking a full account of events, and for the gendarmes involved to be charged with homicide.
"No man, no person should die like that, at that age," his sister Assa Traore, who has led the family's legal fight, said at the rally.
No one has been charged over the death, and the case is still under investigation. Court-ordered medical reports showed Traore died from heart failure, but his family has pointed to an independent autopsy that named asphyxiation as the cause of death. French judges ordered a new inquiry earlier this year, with results expected in early 2021.
An anti-racism march was also taking place in the German capital, Berlin, on Saturday. Holding posters saying, "racism kills, mentally, physically, globally," more than 1,500 protesters marched through the inner city to condemn police brutality.
Given that coronavirus restrictions are still in place in public spaces across Germany, many wore face coverings and attempted to keep 1.5 meters (5 feet) away from other protesters.
