May 25th, 2020, Minneapolis, Minnesota - George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was arrested for allegedly using a counterfeit bill. During the arrest, he was murdered.
A white police officer, Derek Chauvin, knelt on Floyds neck for almost nine minutes whilst Floyd begged for his life - repeating the words "I can't Breathe". Floyd was handcuffed, laying facedown.
Three more officers were involved, with two restraining Floyd whilst another prevented bystanders from intervening. Chauvin only removed his knee once medics arrived and told him to do so.
Videos quickly circulated of the arrest causing widespread anger, and protests quickly erupted around the world against police brutality, racism within the police and pushing for police accountability. Following Floyds death, all four officers involved were fired, Chauvin was charged with second-degree murder whilst the other three officers were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.
The Black Lives Matter movement, originally founded in 2013 to protest not just police brutality, but all racially motivated violence against black people, became a key organiser for many peaceful protests.
In the weeks after the initial protests, thousands of far-right took to the streets across the UK to "defend the statues", following the vandalism of Winston Churchill's statue the week prior.
Fighting broke out early on in Parliament square between police and the far-right before hundreds broke away and headed to Trafalgar Square where the Black Lives Matter demonstrators had started to gather.
The message from BLM supporters was clear - do not attack unless attacked. The police were also not to be targeted.
