George Floyd's Solidarity Action For Thailand's Public Way Of Transmission Of COVID-19

Photo illustration (Chris Montgomer / Unsplash)

JAKARTA - The murder of George Floyd, a black man by Derek Chauvin, a police officer in Minneapolis, United States (US), stirred solidarity actions in various countries. In Thailand, three hundred people joined an online protest.

Launching Reuters on Monday, June 8, the participants of the action consisted of local people and foreigners in Thailand. They marked their arms with Floyd's last words before dying from Chauvin's knee crush in the neck: I Can't Breath. They gather on the video meeting platform, Zoom.

During the action, the participants also watched a video of Floyd's death. One of the organizers of the action, Natalie Bin Narkprasert, delivered a touching message about discrimination for people of African descent.

“I've lived on three continents now. I have good friends who come from the African community, who are also black Americans, and you see a stark difference in how they are treated, ”said Natalie.

"Everyone has hope, everyone has dreams, everyone is bloodshot, you know. It's crazy that they still have this in 2020 when in 1963, Martin Luther King did his freedom speech," added Natalie.

This group also watched 8 minutes and 46 seconds of video. They watched the video in silence. They watch the scene where Floyd's neck is pressed with the knee of a white cop to see 'how it feels'.

Some demonstrators also said there were acts of racism in Asia too, though perhaps more subtle. However, they hope for gradual changes so that racism will no longer exist.

Movement in England

Previously, there were protests in Britain. In London, tens of thousands of people gathered, one banner reading: Britain is guilty too.

Footage posted on social media shows demonstrators in Bristol, West England cheering as they knock down a statue of Edward Colston and dump it into a river. Edward Colston was a 17th century slave trader.

Chaniya La Rose, a 17 year old student in London protested with her family. They say ending inequality is a long-awaited thing. "It just needs to stop now. It shouldn't be this difficult to be equal," he said.

Health Minister Matt Hancock, previously said that joining the 'Black Lives Matter' protests risks contributing to the spread of COVID-19. The US embassy is the focus of protests elsewhere in Europe.

There are more than 10,000 gathered at the US Embassy in Copenhagen, hundreds in Budapest, and thousands in Madrid. They lined the road guarded by police in riot suits.