Police in the US fired tear gas outside the White House late on Sunday as anti-racism protesters took to the streets for the sixth day to voice fury at police brutality.
Major US cities have been put under curfew to suppress the unrest that was triggered after George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, died after a white police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
With the Trump administration branding instigators of rioting as “domestic terrorists”, there were more confrontations between protesters and police and fresh outbreaks of looting.
Violent clashes broke out repeatedly in a small park next to the White House, with authorities using tear gas, pepper spray and flash grenades to disperse crowds who lit several large fires and damaged property.
Local US leaders appealed to citizens to give constructive outlet to their rage over the death of Floyd, while night-time curfews were imposed in cities including Washington, DC, Los Angeles, Houston New York and Miami.
Thousands of National Guard troops have been deployed in the wake of the protests that have rekindled memories of the 2013 Black Lives Matter movement.
The death on Monday of George Floyd at the hands of police has ignited the latest wave of outrage in the US over law enforcement’s repeated use of lethal force against Black Americans. Samuel Corum/AFP
Police officers advance on protesters after they set three cars on fire during a demonstration near the White House in Washington, DC. Shawn Thew/EPA
A maintenance building in Lafayette Park across the street from the White House burns as people protest the death of George Floyd. Samuel Corum/AFP
A demonstrator faces off with a police line in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Kerem Yucel/AFP
Minnesota State Patrol used tear gas and rubber bullets to clear protests in Minneapolis. Julio Cortez/AP Photo
Police in Boston, Massachusetts, also used tear gas to disperse protesters. Joseph Prezioso/AFP
A firework explodes during a protest at the Ferguson Police Department in Ferguson, Missouri. Michael B. Thomas/Getty Images/AFP
Demonstrators are taken into custody after curfew in Minneapolis. John Minchillo/AP Photo
Motorists are ordered to the ground from their vehicle by police on South Washington Street in Minneapolis. John Minchillo/AP Photo
One closely watched protest was outside the state capitol in Minneapolis’ twin city of St Paul, where several thousand people gathered before marching down a highway. “We have Black sons, Black brothers, Black friends, we don’t want them to die. We are tired of this happening, this generation is not having it, we are tired of oppression,” said Muna Abdi, a 31-year-old Black woman who joined the protest. Craig Lassig/EPA
