George Floyd protests: New murder charges against police officers

• Donald Trump’s former defence secretary has issued a blistering condemnation of the US president’s handling of the anti-racism protests, claiming “abuse" of power and calling his old boss willingly divisive
• Three former police officers present at the arrest of George Floyd were charged with aiding and abetting murder yesterday, while Derek Chauvin, who pinned him down by the neck, saw his charge upgraded to second-degree murder
• Thousands of largely peaceful demonstrators marched in the UK and around the world against the death of George Floyd, but two people were arrested in London on suspicion of attacking an emergency worker
• Barack Obama has told protesters that their deeds “are as profound as anything I’ve seen in my lifetime” and encouraged cities to commit to reforms to end police brutality
• Robbie Collin: Why John Boyega, who joined protesters in Hyde Park on Wednesday, is Britain's most fearless actor

Follow the latest news in Thursday's live blog

Barack Obama has told Americans protesting for racial justice that their deeds “are as profound as anything I’ve seen in my lifetime” and encouraged cities to commit to reforms to end police brutality.

Mr Obama also struck a note of optimism, even as he acknowledged the despair and anger powering the protests since the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, in police custody nine days ago.

"In some ways, as tragic as these last few weeks have been, as difficult and scary and uncertain as they've been, they've also been an incredible opportunity for people to be awakened to some of these underlying trends," Mr Obama said via livestream from his Chicago home in his first live remarks on the unrest gripping dozens of US cities.

"And they offer an opportunity for us to all work together to tackle them, to take them on, to change America and make it live up to its highest ideals."

He also directly addressed young Americans of colour, telling them, "I want you to know that you matter, I want you to know that your lives matter, that your dreams matter."

Read more: Obama calls on cities to reform police

A former United States defence secretary has accused Donald Trump of being a threat to the US Constitution and accused the president of pitting Americans against each other.

In an extraordinary article in The Atlantic, James Mattis writes that he has been left "angry and appalled" by the US Government's handling of the George Floyd protests and accused the White House of "making a mockery of the Constitution".

"The protests are defined by tens of thousands of people of conscience who are insisting that we live up to our values—our values as people and our values as a nation.

“We must reject and hold accountable those in office who would make a mockery of our Constitution.

“Donald Trump is the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people—does not even pretend to try. Instead, he tries to divide us. 

“We are witnessing the consequences of three years of this deliberate effort. We are witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership. We can unite without him, drawing on the strengths inherent in our civil society.

"This will not be easy, as the past few days have shown, but we owe it to our fellow citizens; to past generations that bled to defend our promise; and to our children."

Read more: 'Trump is making mockery of US Constitution'

Virginia Governor Ralph Northam is expected to announce plans on Thursday for the removal of an iconic statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee from Richmond's prominent Monument Avenue.

The governor will direct the statue to be moved off its massive pedestal and put into storage while his administration seeks input on a new location.

The move comes amid turmoil across the nation over the death of George Floyd.

Mr Floyd's death has sparked outrage over issues of racism and police brutality and prompted a new wave of Confederate memorial removals in which even some of their longtime defenders have decided to remove them.

The Lee statue is one of five Confederate monuments along Monument Avenue in Richmond, the former capital of the Confederacy.

It has been the target of vandalism during protests in recent days over Mr Floyd's death.

Rozina Sabur reports from the attorney general's press conference in Minneapolis:

Keith Ellison, the Minnesota attorney general and lead prosecutor in the George Floyd case, announced the fresh charges against the former officers.

Mr Ellison, who took over the case amid growing public anger at perceived police inaction, said: "We're here today because George Floyd is not. He should be here".

He said that after reviewing the investigation, he believed the evidence available supported the stronger charge of second degree murder against Derek Chauvin.

Mr Ellison added that arrest warrants were issued today for the three other former Minneapolis police officers involved in Mr Floyd's arrest.

They have all been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.

It means the three former officers -  Thomas Lane, J. Kueng and Tou Thao - now face the same maximum sentence as Mr Chauvin if convicted.

"I strongly believe that these developments are in the interests of justice for Mr Floyd, his family and the community," Mr Ellison said.

"We are working together on this case with only one goal - justice for George Floyd."

Mr Ellison said his team had consulted on case law to reach a decision on the new charges, insisting: "I did not allow public pressure to impact our decision".

"The very fact that we have filed these additional charges means we believe in them."

However he said he wanted to set expectations in a realistic light, saying it would take "months" to prepare the case for a trial.

"It needs to be strong because trying this case will not be an easy thing."

He declined to say whether all four officers would face trial, leaving open the possibility that they may be offered a plea bargain.

Mr Ellison, the first Muslim and first African-American to be appointed to a state-wide office in Minnesota, said a larger public reckoning was needed over Mr Floyd's death.

"What I do not believe is one successful prosecution can rectify the hurt and loss that so many people feel."

The updated criminal complaint against Derek Chauvin says the officer's actions were a "substantial causal factor" in Mr Floyd's death.

"Officer Chauvin's restraint of Mr. Floyd in this manner for a prolonged period was a substantial causal factor in Mr. Floyd losing consciousness, constituting substantial bodily harm, and Mr Floyd's death as well," the criminal complaint said.

The complaints against the other officers allege they aided and abetted in Chauvin's actions. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said warrants have been issued for their arrests. Chauvin was already in custody.

The unintentional second-degree murder charge alleges that Chauvin caused Floyd's death without intent while committing another felony offence, namely third-degree assault.

It carries a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison, compared with a maximum of 25 years for third-degree murder.

The other officers face the same maximum penalties for aiding and abetting, if convicted.

Mr Ellison said: "George Floyd mattered. He was loved, his family was important, his life had value, and we will seek justice for him and for you, and we will find it." Ellison said.

The three other officers on the scene when Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee on George Floyd's neck are being charged with aiding and abetting a murder.

The Star Tribune, citing multiple unnamed law enforcement sources, said Thomas Lane, J. Kueng and Tou Thao would be charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.

It said the new charges were to be filed by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison.

Earl Gray, who represents Lane, said the Star Tribune report "is accurate."

Rozina Sabur in Minneapolis reports:

The former police officer who dug his knee into Mr Floyd's neck until he became immobile is expected to have the charges against him upgraded to second-degree murder, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Prosecutors have been under public pressure to increase the charges against Derek Chauvin.

The three other former police officers at the scene, Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane, are also expected to be charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder, according to the Star Tribune.

Mr Keung was one of the first officers on the scene and helped pin Mr Floyd down.

Police earlier said Mr Lane had pointed a gun at Mr Floyd before he was handcuffed, and later asked whether he should be moved onto his side as he was pinned to the ground.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott pledged $1 million over social media in a bid to improve police training and address systemic racism.

Prescott's lengthy Instagram post on Wednesday comes on the heels of the death of George Floyd.

"As a black multiracial American, I am disgusted and unsettled!" Prescott wrote. "... As our communities take action, protesting and fighting for the justice of George Floyd and every black life, I am with you!"

Prescott, 26, addressed the members of law enforcement.

"To the men and women that police our streets, I have the utmost respect for those of you with a passion for protecting and serving our communities," Prescott wrote.

"When you chose to wear a badge of a police officer, you pledged to PROTECT life and property through the enforcement of our laws and regulations.

"How can you claim to uphold the law when those within your ranks don't abide by it? You need to hold your own accountable! Each of you are as guilty as the men who stood beside Derek Chauvin if you do not stand up against the systemic racism plaguing our police forces nationwide."

Active-duty troops brought in to help if needed with the civil unrest in Washington are beginning to return to their home base, after two days of more peaceful demonstrations, senior defence officials said.

Officials said that about 200 soldiers with the 82nd Airborne's immediate response force will be the first to leave on Wednesday. 

The remainder of the active-duty troops, who have all been kept at military bases outside the city in northern Virginia and Maryland, will also get pulled home in the coming days if conditions allow.

Active-duty troops were available, but were not used in response to the protests.

The departure of the troops comes as defence secretary Mark Esper said that current conditions do not warrant using military forces for law enforcement in containing the protests.

Mr Trump has in recent days talked about using the military to quell violent protests in US cities.

The active-duty unit that will be last to remain on alert is the Army's 3rd Infantry Regiment, which is normally most visible as the soldiers who stand at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Rozina Sabur reports from Minneapolis:

George Floyd's son, Quincy Mason, thanked protesters across the world for supporting his family and helping them get "justice" as he visited the spot in Minneapolis where his father was brutally restrained by police officers.

Mr Mason told a crowd gathered at the site: "every night with my family I try and get justice for my father. No man or woman should be without their fathers, and we want justice for what's going on right now."

"I appreciate everyone showing some support and love, I thank you all for that," he added.

Alongside him was Ben Crump, a lawyer for the family of George Floyd, who urged crowds to "take a breath for peace" as he visited the memorial at the spot where the 46-year-old was pinned down by police until he became immobile.

Mr Crump, a prominent civil rights lawyer, said: "This moment is a tipping point to change America and see whether it truly believes in the words of Thomas Jefferson... that all men are created equally."

"Well America, that means black people too," he added.

A memorial service for Mr Floyd will be held in the city tomorrow afternoon, with hundreds of people expected to attend.

Mr Crump urged people to remember the countless others who have lost their lives at the hands of police officers, offering a litany of names including Breanna Taylor, Eric Garner and Tamir Rice.  

"Let's take a breath for marginalised people who were killed unnecessarily, violently and senselessly," he said.

Mr Crump said the family "absolutely believes" Mr Floyd was "tortured" by the officers who detained him.

George Floyd's family demanded the arrest of all four police officers involved in his death, as they visited a makeshift shrine at the Minneapolis street corner where he died after a white officer pressed a knee on his neck.

Derek Chauvin, has been fired and charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

Three other officers who were present were also fired but have not been charged.

The family's attorney, Ben Crump, repeated his call for all four officers to be charged.

"He died because he was starving for air," Mr Crump said. "He needed a breath. So we are demanding justice. We expect all of the police officers to be arrested before we have the memorial here in Minneapolis, Minnesota, tomorrow."

Minnesota governor Tim Walz made an unannounced visit to the memorial earlier on Wednesday.

At the Downing Street press conference he said: "We mourn George Floyd and I was appalled and sickened to see what happened to him.

"And my message to President Trump, to everybody in the United States from the UK is that I don't think racism - it's an opinion I'm sure is shared by the overwhelming majority of people around the world - racism, racist violence has no place in our society."

He said people had the right to protest but "I would urge people to protest peacefully, and in accordance with the rules on social distancing".

"Everybody's lives matter, black lives matter, but we must fight this virus, as well."

The Minnesota attorney general Keith Ellison is set to make a "significant announcement".

It has completed a review of evidence following its investigation into four former police officers involved in the death of Mr Floyd, CNN reported.

Derek Chauvin has already been charged with third-degree murder and second-degre manslaughter.

Three other former officers - Thomas Lane, J.A. Keung, and Tou Thao, have not yet been charged

After threatening states that he would dispatch the military to quell protests, Donald Trump appeared to be privately backing off.

White House officials said the response to demonstrations across the country indicated that local governments should be able to restore order themselves.

The shift came as protests in Washington and other cities over police brutality against minorities proceeded Tuesday with relative calm.

That was a striking contrast to the harsh crackdowns outside the White House on Monday night.

At least 9,300 people have been arrested in protests around the country since the killing of George Floyd, according to a tally by The Associated Press.

Los Angeles has recorded 2,700 arrests since the protests, followed by New York with about 1,500. Police in Dallas, Houston and Philadelphia have also arrested several hundred people.

A German government spokesman has called the death of George Floyd "terrible and avoidable," but says the United States doesn't need advice from Germany on dealing with the situation.

Steffen Seibert said: "America is a strong democracy where there is a lively debate about everything that's happening now, it doesn't need our advice."

Asked whether Germany has a problem with racial discrimination, Seibert replied: "Racism certainly isn't a problem in America alone, it's a problem in many societies and I'm sure there is racism in Germany, too."

US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Wednesday that he opposed invoking a rarely used law to deploy US military troops to quell nationwide protests over police brutality against African Americans.

"I do not support invoking the Insurrection Act," Esper said, two days after President Donald Trump said he could do so to call up the army to quash protests.

Mr Esper added that the killing of George Floyd is a “horrible crime” and said the officers on the scene that day should be "held accountable for his murder".

"Let me say upfront, the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis policeman is a horrible crime. The officers on the scene that day should be held accountable for his murder. It is a tragedy that we have seen repeat itself too many times."

He added: “Racism is real in America, and we must all do our very best to recognize it, to confront it, and to eradicate it.”

Solidarity protests are ongoing in Hyde Park. Here is a round-up of the latest photographs from on the ground:

Donald Trump has denied reports that he and his family sheltered in the White House's bunker as protests outside escalated. 

The US president claimed he in fact went down to the bunker "for inspection" earlier that day. 

“It was a false report," he said. I wasn’t down— I went down during the day and I was there for a tiny, little short period of time, and it was much more for an inspection…I’ve gone down two or three times, all for inspection."

Five storeys beneath the White House the US president's last refuge is said to be an impregnable subterranean fortress which no rioter could ever hope to reach.

The official name for the bunker is the Presidential Emergency Operations Center (PEOC).

It was originally dug out and constructed in the Second World War for Franklin Roosevelt, but was enlarged by Harry Truman.

The location is underneath the East Wing, the residential wing of the White House.

Thousands of people around the world ‘took the knee’ on Wednesday in tribute to the memory of George Floyd and the hundreds of unarmed black people killed every year by police in the US, write Patrick Sawer and Steve Bird.

More than 1,000 gathered in London's Hyde Park where Star Wars star John Boyega told demonstrators holding Black Lives Matter placards: "Every black person in here remembered when another person reminded you that you were black.

"I need you to understand how painful this s*** is. I need you to understand how painful it is to be reminded every day that your race means nothing and that isn't the case anymore, that was never the case anymore."

Copying the gesture popularised by the American football star Colin Kaepernick many in the park dropped down on one knee and bowed their heads, expressing their anger at the death of Mr Floyd at the hands of a white policeman who choked the life out of him by crushing the father of two’s neck with his knee.

The chant of “I can’t breathe” also rang out around Hyde Park and in cities as far afield as Paris, Sydney, The Hague and Tel Aviv, echoing Mr Floyd’s last words as he died on a Minneapolis sidewalk nine days ago.

George Floyd's daughter Gianna Floyd has been told her "Daddy changed the world" but still does not know he is thought to have been killed by police officers. 

The six-year-old appeared alongside her mother Roxie Washington on Good Morning America today, where Gianna said she misses playing with her father. 

Miss Washington revealed that she has not explained to Gianna how her father died.

"I told her her dad died because he couldn't breathe," she said. 

In another widely circulating social media post, Gianna can be seen on her uncle's shoulders during protests in Minneapolis, saying: "Daddy changed the world!"

British photojournalist Adam Gray was arrested in New York City as he covered the George Floyd protests.

The photographer, who has worked with The Telegraph, said he was pushed and pinned to the ground by police.

"I was shouting 'I’m press, I’m press' the whole time and had my lanyard with my foreign press card in it," he explained. "Not that that seemed to matter."

It was about 10.30pm on Saturday night and I was walking towards Union Square in Manhattan, where protesters had set fire to a police car 15 mins earlier. I’d been editing and sending photos from the demonstrations a few hundred yards away, and wanted to see what was happening.

The police had seemed very agitated throughout the day, clashing with demonstrators and using force. But there seemed to be a lull as I approached the front of the crowd.

Then out of nowhere the cops suddenly rushed the protesters and pandemonium ensued as they grabbed and pushed people to the ground. 

Read more of Adam's story here.

Police in Richmond, Virginia have denied accusations an officer spit on a detained protester after a video showing the alleged incident was shared on social media.

The incident "did not happen as the activists have claimed" and a slow-motion analysis of the video "shows the officers spitting on the grass and not on the detainee," the Richmond Police Department said in multiple Twitter posts Tuesday night.

A version of the slow-motion video obtained by the Richmond Times-Dispatch focuses on the officer closest to the handcuffed detainee and follows the spit's trajectory.

Police say officers were frequently coughing and spitting due to "exposure to tear gas," amid demonstrations in the city.

Star Wars actor John Boyega has given an emotional speech at a Hyde Park demonstration about the death George Floyd in the US.

Boyega referenced two other black Americans who controversially died in the US and the racist UK murder of Stephen Lawrence, as he told demonstrators: "We are a physical representation of our support for George Floyd.

"We are a physical representation of our support for Sandra Bland. We are a physical representation of our support for Trayvon Martin. We are a physical representation of our support for Stephen Lawrence."

He added: "I'm speaking to you from my heart. Look, I don't know if I'm going to have a career after this, but f--- that.

"Today is about innocent people who were halfway through their process, we don't know what George Floyd could have achieved, we don't know what Sandra Bland could have achieved, but today we're going to make sure that won't be an alien thought to our young ones."

Thousands of protesters are now gathered in Hype Park in solidarity with protests in the US.

The central London demonstration started at 1pm, with people heading to the park in crowds and chanting "no justice, no peace".

Demonstrators could be seen handing out masks and gloves to help stop the spread of the coronavirus during the protests. Police chiefs have expressed concern that the gatherings would make it difficult to maintain social distancing. 

Sophie Walsh, a 9 News Perth reporter, was allegedly assaulted live on air as she reported on the global Black Lives Matter protests. 

Walsh was in Central London's Hyde Park speaking about solidarity protests in Paris and London when the incident took place.

Undeterred by curfews, protesters in the United States streamed back into the nation's streets last night. 

Demonstrations were held across the US, including in Los Angeles, Miami, St Paul, Minnesota, Columbia, South Carolina and Houston, where the police chief talked to peaceful demonstrators, vowing reforms.

Here are the key takeaways you need to know:

1. The protests were mostly peaceful - While there were scattered reports of looting in New York City, the country appeared calmer by late Tuesday than it did a day earlier, when violence swept through multiple cities. Despite this, many report tear gas and other irritants were used by police. 
2. Thousands of people defied curfews - Despite city-wide curfews being introduced across the nation, thousands took the streets. In Washington DC a resident accepted 80 demonstrators into his home after street blockades and curfews left them in a tight spot. In New York, protesters were trapped on the Manhattan Bridge as they attempted to cross over from Brooklyn after curfew. 
3. Washington remains a key focus - The nation's capital has remained a key focus for the protests. On Tuesday, demonstrators returned to outside of the White House. The move was a stand against the tear gas used on them on Monday to clear the way for Donald Trump's now infamous bible photo. 

A city that erupted in protests six years ago after a white police officer shot and killed a black teeanger elected its first Afro-American mayor on Tuesday night, writes Patrick Sawer.

Ella Jones’s victory as Mayor of Ferguson came after she promised to continue the reform to policing introduced after the killing of Michael Brown in 2014.

Her victory stood in contrast to the defeat in a primary election on the same evening of US congressman Steve King after he said there was nothing controversial about ‘white supremacy’.

During her campaign Ms Jones, 65, made it clear she supported peaceful protests after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis last week, while also condemning the violence that has broken out in several cities.

She promised to continue changes introduced after the shooting of Mr. Brown in 2014, including a federal consent decree, a legally binding agreement requiring reforms to a police department.

Following her victory Jones said in a video posted online on Tuesday night by St Louis Public Radio:  “I’ve got work to do — because when you’re an African-American woman, they require more of you than they require of my counterpart."

She added:  “I know the people in Ferguson are ready to stabilize their community, and we’re going to work together to get it done.”

Hundreds of protesters have flocked to Hyde Park in London to take part in a Black Lives Matter protest prompted by the death of George Floyd. 

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday black lives mattered and he supported the right to protest, in a lawful and socially-distanced way, after the killing by police of George Floyd in the United States stirred widespread anger.

"Of course, black lives matter and I totally understand the anger, the grief that is felt not just in America but around the world and in our country as well," he told parliament.

"I also support, as I've said, the right to protest. The only point I would make ... is that any protest should be carried out lawfully and in this country protests should be carried out in accordance with our rules on social distancing."

Asked whether the prime minister would look into the export of riot control equipment to the US, including tear gas and rubber bullets, Johnson said he would examine any complaints.

Paris riot police fired tear gas on Tuesday as scattered protesters threw projectiles and set fires during an unauthorised demonstration against police violence and racial injustice.   

The demonstration was organised to honour Frenchman Adama Traoré, who died shortly after being detained by the police in 2016 and in solidarity with Americans demonstrating the death of George Floyd in the US.  

The Traoré case has become emblematic of the fight against police brutality in France.

Calls for Tuesday's protest in front of a Paris court come after some medical experts last week attributed the death to a cardiac problem, the latest in a series of conflicting medical assessments.  His family said he died from asphyxiation due to police tactics.

Protesters defied a police ban imposed a few hours before the demonstration, forbidding any gatherings of more than 10 people.

As the demonstration wound down, police fired tear gas and protesters could be seen throwing projectiles.

For those of you who are just joining us, here is a round-up of today's main events:

• Undeterred by curfews, protesters in the US streamed back into the nation's streets overnight in Los Angeles, Miami, St Paul, Minnesota, Columbia, South Carolina and Houston, but the vast majority remained peaceful.

• The Pentagon has confirmed that active duty troops are now on hand in the Washington DC area if protests against police brutality and racial discrimination escalate.

• The events have sparked reactions worldwide, including from Pope Francis, who said: "We cannot turn a blind eye to racism."

• British police said they were appalled by the way George Floyd lost his life and by the violence which followed in US cities, as protests are expected in London later today. 

• Former president George W. Bush has called on the US to take a hard look at its "tragic failures", citing racial injustice in America.
• Meanwhile, former president Barack Obama will join other leaders in addressing the death of George Floyd and recent protests against police brutality in a livestream.
• A global fundraiser organised to generate funds for George Floyd's young daughter Gianna has raised over $500,000.
• A US congressman who said there was nothing controversial about ‘white supremacy’ has lost his bid for renomination, in an apparent backlash​.

A retired police captain who died during a night of violent protests was trying to protect his friend's pawn shop, his widow said.

David Dorn's last moments were caught on video and apparently posted on Facebook Live, though the video has since been taken down.

He was killed by people who had broken into Lee's Pawn & Jewelry, and his body found on the sidewalk at about 2:30am on Tuesday. No arrests have been made.

His death came on a violent night in St. Louis, where four officers were shot, officers were pelted with rocks and fireworks, and 55 businesses were burglarized or damaged, including a convenience store that burned. Police also shot and gravely injured a burglary suspect who they say shot at officers.

Dorn was a friend of the pawn shop's owner and frequently checked on the business when alarms went off, his wife, St. Louis police Sgt. Ann Marie Dorn, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

David Dorn served 38 years on the St. Louis police force before retiring in October 2007. He then became chief of Moline Acres, a small town in St. Louis County.

Protesters were blocked on Manhattan Bridge in New York City by police as they defied an 8pm city-wide curfew.

More than 200 people were arrested in NYC during another night of demonstrations over the killing of unarmed black man George Floyd. But most protests passed peacefully.

While there were scattered reports of looting in New York City, the country appeared calmer by late Tuesday than it did a day earlier, when violence swept through multiple cities.

British police said they were appalled by the way George Floyd lost his life and by the violence which followed in US cities, but called on potential protesters in the United Kingdom to work with police as coronavirus restrictions remain in place.

"We stand alongside all those across the globe who are appalled and horrified by the way George Floyd lost his life," police chiefs from across the UK said in a joint statement. "Justice and accountability should follow."

"We are also appalled to see the violence and damage that has happened in so many US cities," they said.

Police chiefs said they understood the right to lawful protest but reminded people that the coronavirus restrictions remained in place which prevent large groups from gathering.

"So for whatever reason people want to come together, we ask that people continue to work with officers at this challenging time," the police chiefs said.

A Washington DC resident saved 80 protesters from arrest after they were trapped on a street after curfew.

Rahul Dubey ushered the complete strangers into his home after police blocked both ends of the street and began to move in. 

Police said they made nearly 200 arrests in the area and will review how they conducted themselves.

The group stayed at the house until it was safe to leave the next morning. 

“I heard screaming, I heard beating,” Mr Dubey told the BBC. “People were getting their heads slammed down on the ground and they were running for their lives so you open the door. 

“They were kind of pinned on the street… They had nowhere to go.

“It happened really fast. I flung open the door. The people who were on the steps ran in and then just all these people just started running in and they were coughing and tripping. We were grabbing them by the t-shirt and saying ‘get in the house! Get in the house!’”

Venessa Fuentes is raising her son in the south side of Minneapolis, where George Floyd was killed.

She told the Telegraph the protests are a part of new civil rights movement, one that "is cross-class, cross-race, cross-generational", but added "America's black community has had enough".

I'm a black woman from the third precinct in Minneapolis where a lot of the unrest has been happening, and my role as an activist is in helping out the community. I stand with them.

There have been so many state sponsored acts of murder of black people, in Minnesota and across the country.

When the news of George Floyd started to break I woke up to lots of friends checking in with me. Before his name was released the word had gotten out that police had killed an unarmed black man in the south side of Minneapolis. That's where I work, and where I live. It's where I raise my 15-year-old son.

Read more about Venessa's experience here.

Last night, tributes to George Floyd were made in Manchester as a new mural by street artist Akse was unveiled in the Northern Quarter.

Buildings owned by the local council were also lit up purple in Floyd's memory.

A US congressman who said there was nothing controversial about ‘white supremacy’ has lost his bid for renomination, in an apparent backlash against racism in the wake of the George Floyd protests, writes Patrick Sawer.

Moderate Republican voters rejected representative Steve King, who had served nine-terms for Iowa, in one of the biggest defeats of the 2020 primary season in any state.

In the five-way primary, King was defeated by Randy Feenstra, a state senator, who had the backing of mainstream state and national Republicans who had come to regard the veteran politician as an embarrassment and a potential threat to a safe Republican seat in November.

With a reputation for insulting undocumented migrants, endorsing a Toronto mayoral candidate with neo-Nazi ties and backing anti-Muslim campaigners in Europe, King was already regarded as one of US’s most divisive elected officials.

But he was deemed to have gone too far after an interview with The New York Times in 2019, in which he asked, “White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?”

The remarks caused an uproar, with Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican majority leader, telling King “to find another line of work.”

King’s defeat came as protests continued to spread across the US against police brutality and years of continued economic discrimination following the death of Mr Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer now charged with murder.

A global fundraiser organised to generate funds for George Floyd's young daughter Gianna has raised over $500,000.

A total of 16,000 donors have pledged $503,390 in the 24 hours since the campaign began, exceeding the $500,000 target. 

The money will go towards mental and grief counseling for the six-year-old, as well as lodging and travel for all court proceedings.

It will also be used to assist Gianna’s mother, Roxie Washington, in providing for their child’s continued well-being and education.

"Our hearts are overwhelmed with gratitude and we ask that you think of Gianna and the rest of our family as we suffer through this great loss," said Ms Washington. 

Members of the National Guard took the knee after a passionate speech by actress Keke Palmer on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood.

Officers from the 18th Cavalry refused to march alongside protesters but agreed to kneel.

There was also solidarity shown for protesters in Minnesota, where Lt. Col. Sam Andrews called for peaceful action and hugged protesters.

Several hundred people broke away from a massive peaceful protest in Portland, Oregon, late Tuesday and engaged in a confrontation with police officers guarding a public building.

Police Chief Jami Resch said in a video message posted on Twitter that members of the smaller group tried to tear down fencing set up to protect a facility that holds the police headquarters and a county jail and threw bottles, bats and mortars at officers.

Police declared an unlawful assembly and set off flash-bang grenades and tear gas. It wasn't clear how many arrests, if any, had been made.

The violence was in stark contrast to a rally and march earlier in the evening. Thousands of people laid down on a major bridge spanning the Willamette River for nine minutes and their bodies covered almost the entire span of the bridge.

The crowd then proceeded to Pioneer Courthouse Square for a peaceful rally before the much smaller group broke away.

Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler canceled an 8pm curfew earlier Tuesday after praising protesters for Monday night's demonstration, which was largely peaceful.

Pope Francis says he has ''witnessed with great concern the disturbing social unrest" in the United States in reaction to the killing of George Floyd, and called for national reconciliation.

"My friends, we cannot tolerate or turn a blind eye to racism and exclusion in any form and yet claim to defend the sacredness of every human life," the pope said during his weekly Wednesday audience, held in the presence of bishops due to coronavirus restrictions on gatherings.

At the same time, the pontiff warned "nothing is gained by violence and so much is lost."

Francis said he was praying "for the repose of George Floyd and all those who have lost their lives as a result of the sin of racism" and issued his condolences for all those who grieve their loss. He called for national reconciliation and peace.

The Pentagon has confirmed that active duty troops are now on hand in the Washington DC area if protests escalate.

Around 1,600 soldiers have been moved from military bases Fort Bragg and Fort Drum to the Washington DC area to assist civil authorities.

According to a spokesman from the Pentagon, the troops are just a  "prudent planning measure". They said no active duty forces have been deployed in Washington as of yet.

The mother of George Floyd's six-year-old daughter has spoken out at a news conference after days of protests following his death.

Roxie Washington was tearful as she called for justice for his killing.

A Malaysian beauty queen has apologised after her comments that black people should "relax" in response to raging US protests against police racism sparked an online outcry, including condemnation from "Crazy Rich Asians" actor Henry Golding.

Samantha Katie James, who represented Malaysia in the 2017 Miss Universe pageant in the US, posted on Instagram this week: "To the black people, relax, take it as a challenge, makes you stronger.

"You chose to be born as a 'colored' person in America for a reason. To learn a certain lesson."

Social media lit up with anger following the remarks, with the Malaysian-born English actor Golding also condemning her comments in his Instagram stories.

More than 80,000 people have signed an online petition calling for the 25-year-old to be stripped of her Miss Universe Malaysia crown, which she won in 2017, before competing internationally.

As anger mounted late Tuesday, James posted an apology."I do hear you, I'm sorry, I know you're hurting. I'm not in your shoes to fully understand this," she said.

Responding to her comment that black people "chose to be black", she added: "Throughout my journey I have learned that we are more than just this temporary physical body, like an avatar, merely a tiny speck of dust in this vast infinite universe, we tend to overlook that from time to time.

"In our process towards evolution as a human being, on earth. We chose our body, our family, our place of birth, our name and our lessons from the path we take tailor made for us."

A large ring of flowers marks the spot where George Floyd met his end, gasping for breath as a white police officer pinned him down in the Southside neighbourhood of Minneapolis.  

Since his death last week, the area has become a rallying point for a tight-knit community reeling from the death of yet another black man at the hands of the police.

Each day, hundreds of people make the pilgrimage along the blocked off streets leading to the Cup Foods corner shop where Mr Floyd was restrained, and ultimately killed, by officers.

Along the way, trestle tables have been laid out by locals offering free food, water and medicine to those affected by the looting that has swept through the city since the protests began.

Read more on how members of the community in Minneapolis are determined not to let the recent violence overshadow their peaceful method of honouring George Floyd here.

Over 200 protesters were arrested in New York overnight as demonstrators defied a city-wide curfew.

The protests are thought to have been largely peaceful, no where near the widespread chaos seen on Monday night, which targeted looting stores across Manhattan. 

Just after midnight Wednesday, most of the city's streets were cleared aside from police patrolling, especially in hot-spot areas for demonstrations in Brooklyn and Manhattan.

At one point, police blocked off the Manhattan Bridge as protesters attempted to cross over from Brooklyn. There were fears of a confrontation, but the protesters to turned around and walked off the bridge back into Brooklyn without any arrests.

There was a heavy police presence in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Crown Heights, where authorities say police fatally shot a man after responding to reports of shots fired.

NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan said the officer-involved shooting was not connected to the protests.

Protests have sprung up around the world in solidarity with the United States.

An anti-racism campaign group is urging Britons to "take the knee" on their doorsteps for a socially distanced protest in solidarity with protesters in the US.

Stand Up to Racism (SUTR) has organised the protest for 6pm on Wednesday as part of a day of action against discrimination in response to the death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis.

The 46-year-old African American died last week after a police officer held him down by pressing a knee into his neck, provoking riots in many US cities and demonstrations across the world.

SUTR said the campaign was inspired by the kneeling protest staged by American football star Colin Kaepernick in 2016 that has become synonymous with the Black Lives Matter movement.

A separate protest has been planned in London's Hyde Park at 1pm on Wednesday, while a further demonstration is scheduled for 1pm on Saturday in Parliament Square.

Journalists from Associated Press TV were confronted by officers from the New York Police Department as they filmed the ongoing protests in the city.

At one point the crew were shoved and forced to abandon their coverage.

Members of the media were on the streets to film the thousands of demonstrators who remained out protesting past the 8pm curfew time.

Residents, essential workers, buses and truck deliveries were exempt from the curfew. In the footage the journalists can be heard explaining that they are "essential workers"

Police in Seattle, Washington, are now dispersing protesters after largely peaceful action continued into the night.

According to people in the area, police are using tear gas and flash bangs as people run away from their armored vehicles. 

For those of you who are just joining us, here is a roundup of the most recent key events: 

• Despite nighttime curfews in cities across the United States, thousands continued to protest overnight, from Los Angeles to Portland to Minneapolis to New York. 
• Former president George W. Bush has called on the US to take a hard look at its "tragic failures", citing racial injustice in America.
• A man has been shot dead by police in Brooklyn, but the New York Police Department says the incident is not linked to protests in the area.
• Mark Zuckerberg has defended his refusal to take action on Facebook posts from Donald Trump, despite a growing employee revolt.
• Donald Trump has tweeted for the first time since Sunday, posting an image of David Dorn, a 77-year-old retired St Louis police officer who was shot and killed by looters at a pawn shop on Tuesday.
• The Minneapolis school board has voted to end its decades-long contract with the Minneapolis Police Department as public anger towards the force grows.
• Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the nation is watching what is unfolding in the United States with “horror and consternation”.
• Former US President Barack Obama will join other leaders in addressing the death of George Floyd and recent protests against police brutality in a livestream.
• Protesters in Seattle, Washington held umbrellas to shield themselves from crowd control chemicals such as tear gas in scenes reminiscent of last year's Hong Kong protests. 

An 8 pm curfew did not stop thousands of defiant demonstrators from marching through the streets of New York City throughout the night Tuesday, though some of the destruction seen over the past few nights was quelled.

The citywide curfew, which is in place through Sunday, was instated to prevent the widespread damage and destruction that has filled the city's streets over the last two nights after largely peaceful dayside protests.

Mayor Bill de Blasio doubled down on the citywide curfew, but rejected urging from President Donald Trump and an offer from Gov. Andrew Cuomo to bring in the National Guard.

"Everyone, time to go home so we can keep people safe," he said on WINS-AM radio shortly after the curfew took effect.

But demonstrators continued winding through the streets, as part of ongoing nationwide protests.

Police began making arrests around 9 pm and shut down parts of the West Side Highway in lower Manhattan, blocking it off to huge crowds of protesters.

The police department announced it would not allow vehicle traffic south of 96th Street in Manhattan after curfew, though residents, essential workers, buses and truck deliveries were exempt.

Protesters in Seattle, Washington held umbrellas to shield themselves from crowd control chemicals such as tear gas as clashes with the police continued on Tuesday night. 

The scene was reminiscent of last year's Hong Kong protests, during which pro-democracy protesters regularly deployed the use of umbrellas as they faced off with the city's security forces.

Former US President Barack Obama will join other leaders in addressing the death of George Floyd and recent protests against police brutality in a livestream on Wednesday. 

Mr Obama will “discuss the tragic events of recent weeks, the history of police violence in America, and specific action steps needed to transform a system that has led to the loss of too many lives”, according to the Obama Foundation.

The livestream, set to be his first first on-camera comments about recent events, will take place at 10pm GMT. 

Despite nighttime curfews in cities across the United States, thousands defied the orders to protest against police brutality and racial injustice. 

Protests continued in DC and across the country — from Los Angeles to Portland to Minneapolis to New York. 

Justin Trudeau said the Canadians are watching what is unfolding in the United States with “horror and consternation”.

The Canadian Prime Minister paused for 22 seconds when asked about Donald Trump and the use of tear gas against protesters for a photo opportunity.

Mr Trudeau has long been careful not to poke Mr Trump as Canada relies on the US for 75 per cent of exports.

But he dramatically paused and struggled to come up with the right words when asked about the military actions against protesters in the US.

Police violently broke up a peaceful and legal protest by several thousand people in Lafayette Park across from the White House ahead of a speech in the Rose Garden by Mr Trump on Monday evening.

Former president George W. Bush called on the US to take a hard look at its "tragic failures", citing racial injustice in America in a statement addressing protests that have engulfed the country in the past week.

"It remains a shocking failure that many African-Americans, especially young African-American men, are harassed and threatened in their own country," Mr Bush said in the statement expressing anguish over the death of George Floyd.

The killing has unleashed a nationwide wave of civil unrest unlike any seen in the US since the 1968 assassination of rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

"This tragedy - in a long series of similar tragedies - raises a long overdue question: How do we end systemic racism in our society?" Mr Bush wrote. "It is time for America to examine our tragic failures." 

There was a rush to preserve the makeshift memorial to George Floyd on Tuesday night after a severe thunderstorm passed through the city.

But the heavy rain, lightning and even hail did not deter the protesters who had congregated at the site of Mr Floyd's arrest all week and were quick to cover the area in tarpaulin sheets.

The city's mayor, Jacob Frey, also visited the spot on Tuesday, telling the crowd:  “The ground we’re standing on right now is sacred ground, and the community has established that." 

The effort to protect the site has led many to call for a more permanent structure to honour Mr Floyd.

Among the ideas being floated is a memorial roundabout at the junction where Mr Floyd was pinned to the ground by police.

“I’m not gonna be the one that’s going to dictate how exactly this space is made up for the future. I think we got to listen to people,” Mr Frey said.

Meanwhile thousands of protesters, including hundreds of high school students, descended on the grounds outside the State Capitol in St Paul for another day.

- Rozina Sabur

A man has been shot dead by police in Brooklyn, but the New York Police Department says the incident is not linked to protests in the area.

NYPD chief Terence Monahan said that just before 9.30pm, officers responding to a "shot spotter activation" on a street corner arrived to find a man who had been shot. The man was taken to hospital and is in a stable condition.

Witnesses told the officers that the shooter was further up the block. As police investigated they found a man who was armed with a handgun hiding behind a tree.

Chief Monahan said 10 officers urged the man to drop his weapon. He allegedly refused to listen and was shot by police. He died at the scene.

"This incident is not related to the ongoing protests," Chief Monahan said.

Our US Editor, Ben Riley-Smith, is reporting live by the White House

The eight-foot fence erected on Monday night around the park by the White House seems to have been effective so far this evening at cooling tensions in Washington DC.

When the clock struck 7pm and the curfew came into force there were, at an estimate, more than 1,000 people protesting two blocks from Donald Trump’s residence. 

“F*** the curfew,” chanted some. Others took a knee - the symbol of acknowledgment of racial inequality in America - and urged policemen the other side of the fence to also do so. 

For a while, as a helicopter hovered high overhead and the protesters continued their chants, it was unclear if and how the officers would clear the streets. 

Maurice and Sophia, two 36-year-old DC residents who were defying the curfew, told The Telegraph that they had no plans to go home. 

Maurice did not protest on Monday, when the crowds by the White House were controversially pushed back by a police advance, but changed his mind on Tuesday. 

“I was afraid,” he said about why he did not attend on Monday. “But I can’t feel fear. I’ll have kids one day and I don’t want them to get in trouble. It was burning my soul not being here.”

As 8pm approached, however, a big chunk of the crowd left the area, by Lafayette Square just north of the White House. 

Over the next two hours hundreds of people remained. But aside from the odd water bottle thrown at the long line of officers in helmets and shields the other side of the fence things were peaceful until 10pm. 

The Minneapolis school board has voted to end its decades-long contract with the Minneapolis Police Department as public anger towards the force grows in the wake of George Floyd's death, Rozina Sabur writes.

In a unanimous vote on Tuesday, the board for the city's public schools agreed to cease negotiations with the police department and find a new safety plan for the new school year.

It marks the end of a relationship between the school district and the police force which dates back to 1967. 

The current contract is thought to be worth around $1.1 million a year to the police force. 

Earlier today hundreds of protesters had gathered outside the school board's headquarters to voice their support for the move. Among them was congresswoman Ilhan Omar, whose district includes Minneapolis. 

“Police brutality doesn’t just happen in the streets here in Minneapolis. It happens in our schools,” Ms Omar said. “Enough is enough.”

The school board has been under pressure for some time to end their arrangement with the police and redirect the money towards funding other programmes such as student mental health services.

According to the Star Tribune, a 2018-2019 survey by the city's public schools found that officers had more interactions with black students than their white counterparts.

 

Donald Trump has tweeted for the first time since Sunday, posting an image of David Dorn, a 77-year-old retired St Louis police officer who was shot and killed by looters at a pawn shop on Tuesday.

The Telegraph's Josie Ensor is reporting from New York:

Emma Watson has told fans "I see your anger, sadness and pain" following an online backlash over her Blackout Tuesday posts.

The British actress took part in the project, which was aimed at eschewing self-promotion or commercial content and instead calling for racial equality.

Watson, 30, was one of millions of social media users posting black squares on social media.

But some accused her of performative activism, after pointing out her black squares had white borders, fitting in with the rest of her Instagram posts.

The Little Women star said she waited for Blackout Tuesday to end in the UK before replying that she is "still learning about the many ways I unconsciously support and uphold a system that is structurally racist".

Watson wrote: "There is so much racism, both in our past and present, that is not acknowledged nor accounted for. White supremacy is one of the systems of hierarchy and dominance, of exploitation and oppression, that is tightly stitched into society.

"As a white person, I have benefited from this. Whilst we might feel that, as individuals, we're working hard internally to be anti-racist, we need to work harder externally to actively tackle the structural and institutional racism around us."

Read more: What is Black Tuesday?

Mark Zuckerberg has defended his refusal to take action on Facebook posts from Donald Trump, despite a growing employee revolt, James Titcomb writes.

The social network’s founder told staff at a virtual meeting that he would stick by his decision to leave up the US President’s messages, which staff said had inflamed tensions.

It came as a Facebook software engineer became the first to publicly announce he was leaving the company over the controversy, Timothy Aveni said it was “complicit in the propagation of weaponised hatred [and] is on the wrong side of history”.

Last week, Mr Trump had posted on Facebook referring to US protesters in Minneapolis as “thugs” and saying that “when the looting starts, the shooting starts”.

Read more: Zuckerberg defends Facebook as employee quits over refusal to act on Trump posts

Protesters have been blocked from approaching the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. ABC's Marthan Raddatz shared a striking image of law enforcement gathering on the steps of the iconic monument:

Protesters are gathering for another night in Washington, despite a curfew at 8pm (1am UK). The Telegraph's Ben Riley-Smith is on the ground and tweeting about the demonstrations:

• The Archbishop of Canterbury has joined US religious leaders in criticising Donald Trump after protesters outside the White House were tear-gassed, creating space for a presidential photo opportunity by a church
• Mark Zuckerberg has defended his refusal to take action on Facebook posts from Donald Trump, despite a growing employee revolt
• Community members in Minneapolis are determined not to let the recent violence overshadow their peaceful method of honouring George Floyd

• Cover what's happening in US 'like a foreign correspondent in collapsing republic', former US ethics chief tells American journalists

• Tim Stanley comment: The longer these riots go on, the more Donald Trump's anger will seduce America