People take part in a protest over the death of George Floyd in Frankfurt, Germany, June 5, 2020. (Xinhua/Lu Yang)

Thousands youth attend anti-racism protests in Frankfurt

Some 3,000 people, mostly youth, attended protests against racism and police brutality in downtown Frankfurt on Friday afternoon to show solidarity with protesters in the United States after George Floyd, an African American died in police custody last week.

Under the campaign “Youth against racism,” demonstrators gathered in the historical Roemerberg square and marched in major streets of the German metropolis for a peaceful protest, chanting “black lives matter” and holding placards such as “No justice no peace.”

Many of them took a knee while raising one fist, an iconic gesture to show solidarity with anti-racism rallies in other parts of the world. They also took a minute’s silence during the protest.

George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American died in the mid-western U.S. state of Minnesota last week after a white police officer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes until he stopped breathing.

People take part in a protest over the death of George Floyd in Frankfurt, Germany, June 5, 2020. (Xinhua/Lu Yang)

Floyd’s death triggered massive protests against racism and racist police violence throughout the United States and across the world.

Also on Wednesday, several hundred people took to the streets in Frankfurt joining the global “Black Lives Matter” movement.

Amid the coronavirus pandemic concerns, organizers asked protesters to keep a 1.5-meter distance and wear masks.