Thousands of people gathered in central London on Sunday as the protests in American cities spread to the UK.
The protesters were supporting Americans angry about violence suffered by black people at the hands of police in the US, a feeling galvanised by the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis earlier this month.
Mr Floyd died after a police officer put his knee on the unarmed black man's neck for more than eight minutes despite him warning that he could not breathe.
In London, protesters chanted: "No justice, no peace!" and waved placards saying "How many more?" referring to the list of black Americans who have died after encounters with police. Others shouted: "Get your knees off our necks".
Demonstrators ignored social distancing rules as they gathered at Trafalgar Square and marched to the US Embassy, where a long line of police surrounded the building.
Eleven arrests were made in total, with five outside the embassy.
In a brief statement, the Metropolitan Police said the offences included possession of an offensive weapon, assault on police, obstructing a public carriageway and breaches of coronavirus legislation.
Some of those arrested were between the ages of 17 and 25 years old and have been taken into custody.
Sky reporter Emma Birchley was at the event, titled Kneel for Floyd, and she said that at exactly 1pm, the protesters dropped to their knees, most wearing masks as directed by the organisers.
Among the protesters was Nina Mahonty, an American of South Asian descent, who has lived in London for six years.
Breaking down as she spoke, Nina said: "I am struggling watching my country burn and there is nothing I can do from here so this was the next best thing.
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"I know it's precarious because coronavirus is going on right now but if coronavirus doesn't take the lives of our black brothers and sisters, then the police will."
Also among the demonstrators was Ugonna, a young black Londoner.
"When we come here and congregate we know what we are saying regardless of coronavirus," he said.
"The real virus is racism.
"What has been going on is testament to society right now. Society is messed up."
Protesters also marched to Grenfell Tower in north west London, the scene of a fire which killed 72 people in 2017. Most of the victims were black or ethnic minorities.
One protester wrote "Black Lives Matter" on the memorial at the base of the tower block, as others watched on in silence before applauding.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan said accusations of excessive force by police are taken "extremely seriously".
He said: "The death of George Floyd has rightly ignited fury and anguish not just in the USA but around the world. No country, city, police force or institution can be complacent about racism and the impact this has.
"Any accusations of excessive force used by police in London are taken extremely seriously by the Met Police and myself.
"The Met Police understand that community trust and engagement has to be continually and consistently earned and worked on together."
The National Black Police Association UK said Mr Floyd's death had been "swelling simmering tensions" as it called for racism to be understood as a "public health crisis" shared by the US and UK.
"At a time when we are grappling with the harsh reality that decades of structural and institutional racism has made us fodder not only to the disproportionate use of force in policing but also to COVID-19," the statement said.
"Surely, now is the time for us to scramble to rid the world of the scourge of racism, structural and institutional with the same intensity as shown to COVID-19.
"If we do not, what happened to George Floyd and the others before him, will yet again be shunted tothe annals of race and policing history and what happened to George Floyd and thereaction to it, will be repeated across the world."
A police officer has been sacked and charged with third-degree murder following Mr Floyd's death.
Earlier on Sunday, foreign secretary Dominic Raab said video footage of Mr Floyd's death was "very distressing", but he would not comment on president Donald Trump's response to the protests, which include the US president tweeting: "When the looting starts, the shooting starts".
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiiQFodHRwczovL25ld3Muc2t5LmNvbS9zdG9yeS90aGUtcmVhbC12aXJ1cy1pcy1yYWNpc20tbG9uZG9uLXByb3Rlc3RlcnMtaWdub3JlLWNvcm9uYXZpcnVzLXJpc2stdG8tY2FsbC1mb3ItZW5kLXRvLXJhY2lhbC12aW9sZW5jZS0xMTk5ODE5NtIBjQFodHRwczovL25ld3Muc2t5LmNvbS9zdG9yeS9hbXAvdGhlLXJlYWwtdmlydXMtaXMtcmFjaXNtLWxvbmRvbi1wcm90ZXN0ZXJzLWlnbm9yZS1jb3JvbmF2aXJ1cy1yaXNrLXRvLWNhbGwtZm9yLWVuZC10by1yYWNpYWwtdmlvbGVuY2UtMTE5OTgxOTY?oc=5
2020-05-31 18:44:52Z
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