Live Updates: NYC Mayor De Blasio to Cut NYPD Funding, Shift Money to Social Services

RIO DE JANEIRO (Sputnik) - Hundreds of demonstrators marched in the center of Rio de Janeiro on Sunday, protesting against discrimination, racism and facism, which they believe characterizes the government of President Jair Bolsonaro.

"It is an obligation - to be in the streets despite the pandemic and to support the once-frightened Brazilian population, which is now taking to the streets to return these fascists back to where they came from," one of the protesters told Sputnik.

Initially, the Sunday marches were a response to the gatherings of Bolsonaro supporters that have been organized every Sunday in the past weeks. In light of the protests that have been held across the world over the death of African-American George Floyd in police custody, the Sunday demonstration in Rio de Janeiro also became a protest against racial discrimination.

Protesters were carrying signs saying "Black Lives Matter," most of them were wearing face masks but social distancing was not observed. Police were present at the demonstration, which was predominantly peaceful.

Protests were also held in Sao Paulo and in the capital Brasilia on Sunday.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Sunday that he will divert an unidentified amount of funding for the New York Police Department (NYPD) toward social services. He noted that details of the new budget allocation would be worked out before 1 July.

LONDON (Sputnik) - A curfew has been declared in central London's Westminster district over riots during Black Lives Matter protests in the area, the district police said, adding that it will last until 06:00 a.m. of Monday (05:00 GMT).

On Sunday, tens of thousands demonstrators took to the streets in London to support the Black Lives Matter movement. Initially, the rally was held in a peaceful manner, but then some protesters attacked the police in an attempt to trigger a conflict.

"Due to disorder in central Westminster, a Section 35 Dispersal Order has been authorized by Insp Greenwood for the City of Westminster from 21:15 hours today until 06:00 hours tomorrow," the police wrote on Twitter.

The police arrested 12 people during the protests.

Black Lives Matter. pic.twitter.com/JpXUFlxH2J

— Mitt Romney (@MittRomney) June 7, 2020

NEW YORK (Sputnik) - Hundreds of protesters gathered in New York City on Sunday to protest racial inequality and injustice in front of the United Nations headquarters.

Mayor Bill de Blasio said earlier he would lift the 8 p.m. curfew, imposed amid unrest triggered by the death of black American George Floyd in police custody.

Demonstrators chanting "we demand equality" have blocked the First Avenue thoroughfare to traffic, a Sputnik correspondent said.

Meanwhile, thousands of protesters walked through Manhattan, while multiple rallied were being held in Brooklyn, a district that saw violent clashes between protesters and police in riot gear in the previous days.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Sunday that protests against racism and police brutality had been hijacked by thugs, after several officers were injured.

"These demonstrations have been subverted by thuggery - and they are a betrayal of the cause they purport to serve. Those responsible will be held to account," he tweeted.

Johnson said that people had a right to protest peacefully, while observing coronavirus-related social distancing rules, "but they have no right to attack the police," he added.

The curfew is lifted effective immediately. I know this time in our city and our country has been difficult for us all, and I’m grateful to our residents for working together to navigate this challenging time.

— Mayor Lori Lightfoot (@chicagosmayor) June 7, 2020

MOSCOW, June 7 (Sputnik) - French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has criticized police violence against the press and protesters in the United States, in an interview out Sunday.

"All acts of violence committed against peaceful demonstrators or journalists are unacceptable, whether in the United States or elsewhere," he told the Telegramme daily.

There have been multiple reports of US police targeting journalists doing their jobs. A RIA Novosi reporter said he had been deliberately pepper-sprayed in the face in Minneapolis after identifying himself. A Sputnik producer was hit by rubber bullets and trampled in Washington, DC.

Le Drian dodged the newspaper's question about whether US President Donald Trump had added fuel to protest fires with tweeted threats, saying it was up to the Americans to decide.

He said the French shared Americans' resentment of racism that had brought thousands into the streets across the United States to protest the killing of black American George Floyd by a white police officer.

MOSCOW, June 7 (Sputnik) - US Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden will travel to Houston on Monday to meet with the family of George Floyd, a black American whose killing by a white police officer stoked nationwide unrest.

"TOMORROW: @JoeBiden will travel to Houston, TX to offer his condolences to #GeorgeFloyd's family & record a video message for his funeral," Biden's spokesman Matt Hill tweeted on Sunday.

A public viewing of 46-year-old Floyd will be held on Monday in Houston, where he had spent most of his life, followed by a private funeral on Tuesday. The CBS News channel reported that Biden did not want his Secret Service protection to complicate the ceremony.

MOSCOW, June 7 (Sputnik) - Philadelphia is lifting the city-wide curfew, which was imposed amid anti-racism protests, on Sunday, the city authorities said.

The curfew was imposed on May 30, five days after George Floyd, an African American man, died in Minneapolis police custody. Floyd’s death has sparked a wave of protests against police brutality and racial inequality across the United States.

"There will be no curfew or traffic restrictions in place today. If you go out to participate in demonstrations, follow @PhilaOEM [City of Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management] for important updates and information. And remember to wear masks, keep distance from others if possible, and stay hydrated," the official Twitter account of the local government said.

Several other major cities have also decided to lift the curfew, including New York City, Washington, Dallas and Atlanta.

Floyd’s death sparked outrage not only in the US but also abroad. Demonstrations in solidarity with George Floyd protesters have been held in Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, Italy, Japan and other countries.

BRUSSELS, June 7 (Sputnik) - Hundreds of violent protesters at a Black Lives Matter rally in the Belgian capital threw rocks and bottles at police forces on Sunday, who had water cannons at the ready, a Sputnik correspondent said.

Up to 5,000 demonstrators gathered in Place Poelaert in central Brussels in the afternoon to peacefully protest police brutality and racism toward black people in Belgium and the United States.

Tensions escalated after their numbers swelled to almost 10,000 within hours. Our correspondent said that a riot seemed to be brewing in the city's black-majority community of Matonge, close to the Palace of Justice.

Separately, more than 100 anti-racism protesters were arrested in the city of Antwerp for failing to comply with social distancing rules at an unauthorized protest, held in support of US rallies that were stoked by the in-custody death of black American George Floyd.

Demonstrators pulled down a statue of Williams Carter Wickham, a Confederate general during the Civil War, in Richmond, Virginia, on Saturday, according to CBS6 TV channel. 

ROME, June 7 (Sputnik) - A large-scale protest against racism and police brutality is ongoing in downtown Rome on Sunday, a Sputnik correspondent reports from the scene.

People gathered in Piazza del Popolo square in front of Villa Borghese gardens. The demonstration is attended by ethnic Italians, black Italian citizens, African migrants and English-speaking foreigners. The media estimates that several thousand people joined the protest.

Over the weekend, similar demonstrations have occurred in other Italian cities, including Milan, Genoa, Turin, Florence, Naples and Bologna.

The death of George Floyd, an African American man, on May 25 in police custody of the US city of Minneapolis has sparked a worldwide movement against racism, police brutality and social injustice. Apart from the United States and Italy, mass protests have taken place in Germany, the United Kingdom, Denmark, Greece, France, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, and other countries.

Between 4,000 and 5,000 protesters demonstrated in front of the Palace of Justice in the Belgian capital of Brussels on Sunday in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, a Sputnik correspondent said.

Brussels Mayor Philippe Close allowed the protest to go ahead "to make a gesture to the anti-racist associations" despite the coronavirus-related ban on mass gatherings. He urged demonstrators to follow social distancing rules, but they were largely ignored.

The "static action" against police brutality toward black people began on Place Poelaert at 3 p.m. (13:00 GMT). Many of those attending were from the city's black community, living in the area known as "Matonge," close to the Palace of Justice.

Speakers who took the podium at the rally criticized the Belgian police for being racist and violent and denounced Belgium's colonial past, demanding that it tear down all statues of King Leopold II, who colonized the Congo in the late 1800s. Palestinian flags were also visible in the crowd and there were calls to fight capitalism.

The demonstration was peaceful and police presence was limited to avoid clashes. Store owners in the Uptown shopping area were alarmed at the prospect of looting seeing in many US cities in the wake of George Floyd's death but it did not come to that.

The Black Lives Matter Belgium movement held another march in Brussels on Monday to protest Floyd's death at the hands of a white US police officer. On Saturday, there were smaller demonstrations organized in Liege, Spa and other Belgian cities.

Hundreds of people marched in Japan's second-largest city of Osaka on Sunday in solidarity with US protests against police brutality and the death of black American George Floyd.

The organizers of the peaceful rally, Black Lives Matter Kansai, said in a statement seen by Sputnik that the march paid tribute to Floyd as well as Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade and many other black people who had been racially profiled and killed by police.

The demonstration was attended by foreigners and therefore could not be designated as a protest, as Japanese laws ban foreigners from organizing protests in the country. Police put the attendance at a thousand people, down from 3,000 estimated by the organisers.

Demonstrators stand in silence for lives lost to police brutality#Edinburgh #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/OC9qjdO3WR

— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) June 7, 2020

Thousands of mostly African immigrants and their descendants gathered in the center of the Spanish capital on Sunday to protest racism and demand equal justice for all, a Sputnik correspondent said.

Protesters assembled in front of the US embassy in a show of solidarity with black American George Floyd, who died at the hands of a white police officer on May 25. From there they marched to Madrid's most popular square of Puerta del Sol.

Tens of thousands packed the square at the height of the protest, despite the city authorities banning gatherings of more than 200 people to limit the spread of the new coronavirus. They were joined by ethnic Spaniards and white American expats.

Demonstrators chanted "no justice, no peace," "black lives matter," and "no one is above the law" in Spanish and English. Many carried banners that read "racism is a pandemic too," "no more and no less that equal rights," and "Donald Trump is a criminal."

The rally was organized by the African and African Descendant Community in Spain, a recently created nonprofit, which said in a statement that racism against black people was a global phenomenon that was not limited to the US.

Berlin law enforcement officers arrested 93 people on Saturday following anti-racism protests in the German capital, the police said on Sunday.

"In total, 93 people were detained for disturbing public order, resisting to a police officer, attacking a police officer, attempts to release a detainee, violation of the infection protection act [imposed amid the COVID-19 pandemic], as well as for damaging private property," the police said in a press release.

During Saturday clashes, 28 police officers sustained minor injuries and and three of them were treated in hospitals. Also, a freelance photographer who worked on the scene has sustained a blow injury to their head by a thrown bottle.

https://t.co/tE1uCZnwMU

— Jason Dunn (@Gooseplan) June 7, 2020

New York City is lifting the curfew on Sunday following a peaceful night of protests, and the decision will be "effective immediately," Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Sunday in the wake of peaceful protests against racism and police violence in the area.

"New York City: We are lifting the curfew, effective immediately. Yesterday and last night we saw the very best of our city. Tomorrow we take the first big step to restart. Keep staying safe. Keep looking out for each other," de Blasio tweeted.

Jacob Frey, the mayor of the US city of Minneapolis, where an African American man George Floyd died in custody of law enforcement officers, said that he was against abolishing the city police department despite anti-racism protesters demanding him to redirect funds to other community-lead safety measures.

Protests against police brutality in Minneapolis, like in dozens of other cities across the United States, have been ongoing since Floyd’s death. On Saturday, demonstrators marched to Frey’s home, demanded to cut funding of the police department or even abolish it, and called on the mayor to come out. The mayor then addressed the crowd and answered questions regarding the issue.

"I’m not for abolishing the entire police department, I will be honest about that," Frey said, as quoted by the CBS Minnesota broadcaster.

The mayor’s response was booed by protesters, who then called on him to "go home," as seen in the video shared by CBS Minnesota.

At the same time, Frey told demonstrators that he supported the "massive structural reform" of the police to tackle the issue of racism within the law enforcement system.

Nearly 4,000 additional troops deployed to the US capital from other states amid mass anti-racism protests in the country may be leaving as early as Monday, Washington National Guard Commander Major General William J. Walker said in an interview with the CNN broadcaster.

"They will be redeploying this week. Probably as early as Monday," Walker said.

According to the commander, approximately 3,900 out-of-state National Guard forces from 11 states were brought to help the 1,200-strong contingent of the capital in light of the protests.

The military also noted that National Guard troops were not involved in using force to clear Lafayette Park on Monday night and stationed only to minimize their interactions with protesters.

"They held the line, they never advanced on the crowd," Walker said.

Meanwhile, Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy, who oversees the Washington D. C. National Guard, told CNN that the authorities was considering the possibility of sending additional National Guard troops home due to the peaceful nature of the demonstrations.

National Guard forces have been activated across the US in the wake of unrest that followed protests against police violence and racism. Saturday marked what a Sputnik corespondent called the biggest day of protests yet in Washington D.C. Thousands of people took the streets of the capital, staging rallies near the Lincoln Memorial and the White House and marching past the Capitol and the State Department. Officers, sometimes accompanied by National Guard soldiers, were present at the scene, but wore plain uniforms rather than riot gear and interacted amiably with people.