George Floyd death: Thousands turn out for UK anti-racism protests

The protests, sparked by the death of George Floyd in the US, are being held in cities including London, Manchester, Cardiff, Leicester, and Sheffield.

In London, protesters knelt for a minute's silence before chanting "no justice, no peace" and "black lives matter".

The protests went ahead despite officials advising against mass gatherings due to coronavirus.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said the social distancing advice was "for the safety of all of us", while Met Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick said the protests were "unlawful".

Of the thousands of people that gathered in London's Parliament Square, the majority donned face coverings and many wore gloves.

Some held signs making reference to the virus, including one which read: "There is a virus greater than Covid-19 and it's called racism".

Protests began in the US after a video emerged of Mr Floyd, 46, being arrested by four officers on 25 May in Minneapolis.

Mr Floyd, an unarmed black man in handcuffs, died after a white policeman knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes. Footage showed him gasping that he could not breathe. The officer has been charged with murder while three colleagues stand accused of aiding and abetting.

Image copyrightEPA

Image captionCampaigners in Leicester marched through the city centre

Image copyrightWALES NEWS SERVICE

Image captionHundreds have attended protests in Cardiff to show their support with many wearing masks

Ms Patel said she understood people's views and why they wanted to protest but said "we must put public health first".

The home secretary also urged organisers to speak to the police about ways to make the demonstrations safer.

Image copyrightREUTERS

Image captionBoxer Anthony Joshua joined protesters in Watford, Hertfordshire

Image copyrightREUTERS

Speaking on LBC, Dame Cressida said she understood the strength of feeling but urged protesters to find a way of expressing themselves that did not involve mass gatherings.

"I appreciate that we have a very, very long history of people expressing themselves by assembling and waving placards and being in central London, and all those things are very dear to our history," she said.

"But coming together in a gathering is not only unlawful but also perhaps more importantly, in a sense, it is putting yourself and your family at unnecessary risk and other people around you, as we all know it is a deadly virus and it can get spread in crowds."

She also said that police officers should not "take the knee" in solidarity with protesters.

In Manchester about 15,000 protesters have gathered at Piccadilly Gardens in the city centre.

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has warned that mass gatherings were "high risk" amid fears that coronavirus may be spreading again.

Police in Northern Ireland are conducting checks on roads and at transport hubs ahead of planned protests and said anyone travelling to take part can expect to be stopped and advised to return home or face a fine.

On Friday night, organisers of Black Lives Matter demonstrations in Belfast and Londonderry indicated they planned to proceed with social distancing measures in place.

However, planned protests in Newry, Portadown and Omagh have been cancelled.