The world against racism
The Good News of the Week
The protests started in Minneapolis 26 May, the day after George Floyd was killed during a police arrest. His last words, “I can’t breathe”, have resonated in the streets of Oslo and Paris, Johannesburg and New York. Demonstrations against police violence and racism have taken place in more than 600 American cities and 50 countries in the world.
The first few days’ reports of looting, fires and confrontations between police and protesters have become fewer. In the last days, the demonstration has become more symbolic. Last Sunday in Bristol, a group of protesters tore down a statue of the slave trade Edward Colston and dumped it in the river. In Virginia, a statue of Christopher Colombus suffered the same fate. In Brussels, a city counselor has urged a debate on what to with statues of King Leopold, the brutal colonizer of what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Protesters in the US, too, are receiving support from politicians. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio lifted the curfew a day earlier than planned to allow demonstrations and in Seattle, hundreds of protesters occupied the City Hall on Tuesday, with the approval of a City Council member. And after the protests broke out, more than half of the US population say they support the Black Lives Matter-movement.
"Seeing so many people across the world standing up for human rights and supporting the fight against racism is very uplifting and important,"
“George Floyd would still be alive if the police had not used excessive force against him. It sparked a flame that is now burning across the world.”
Amnesty Norway’s campaign for justice for George Floyd has reached an all time high with almost 200 000 signatures and 60 000 shares on Instagram.
“This is a fight for human rights, and it concern all of us.”
Friday 12 June, he released a peace dove from the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo. Every Friday at noon, a dove flies from the windows of the Center, carrying “This Weeks Good New”, to show that world is moving in the right direction.
Did you know that....
...56 years have passed since Martin Luther King Jr received the Nobel Peace Prize for his non-violent campaign for civil rights in the US?
...Amnesty is also a Nobel Peace Prize laureate? Amnesty International was awarded the prize in 1977 for their work to uncover violations of human rights.
Every Friday at noon, the Nobel Peace Center will release a peace dove together with “The good news of the week.”The dove is released from a window at the Nobel Peace Center, situated on the City Hall Square. As the dove crosses the square, the John Lennon song Give Peace a Chance will play from the bell towers.
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