Black Lives Matter Protests Spread To Germany

The fatal shootings of Philando Castile and Alton Sterling have sparked protests on the streets of Berlin, Germany.

Following Black Lives Matter protests breaking out across the U.S., the activists have spread their brand across the Atlantic, organising protests in London and most recently on Sunday in Berlin, Germany.

Residents of Berlin stopped traffic in protest of the recent deaths of Philando Castile in St. Paul, Minnesota, and Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, Louisiana — thousands of miles away from the German capital. Protesters lay in the street, appearing to stop all traffic in the vicinity, with demonstrators reciting the names of those fatally shot by police officers followed by “say their names”.

Berlin, Germany. They are saying the names of every person killed by police this year, followed by "say their names" pic.twitter.com/m83sJIRiE7

— Miguel (@MiguelB512) July 10, 2016

This group of mostly white protesters moved through the city chanting “No peace, no justice” — a mantra commonly recited at Black Lives Matter events in the U.S. — starting at Hermanplatz with the intention of finishing at the American Embassy on Pariser Platz.

https://twitter.com/_sjeila/status/752150131156320256

The event was advertised on Facebook with over one thousand people intending to attend the protest. The Facebook page states: “Show your support with the injustice that’s going on around the world, don’t turn a blind eye.

“Let’s do it for: Alton Sherling, Michael Brown, Delrawn Small, Eric Garner, Tony Robinson, Freddie Gray.”

The above-named those who either died in police custody, during arrest, or who were fatally shot by police officers in the U.S.

The organisers added: “They [sic] are POC [people of colour] who died in Germany while being in police custody. This would add more relevancy to the event here and show that black lives are also at risk in Germany.”

 

The protest was intended to finish at the American Embassy, but instead ending at Potsdamer Platz, apparently due to difficulty accessing the embassy, according to one member of the Facebook group.

This is the latest protest to have been staged on the continent, following three days of protests that took place in London which saw hundreds of activists take to the streets of Britain’s capital, bringing the city to a standstill.