Today, several anti-racist demonstrations were organized in different countries of the world, demanding justice and rejection of all forms of discrimination, and the removal of statues of racist symbols from public squares.

A clash erupted between protesters from the far right and the police in Trafalgar Square in the British capital London today, Saturday, during which firecrackers were fired and bottles were thrown as police officers tried to separate them from anti-racist protesters.

About a thousand right-wing activists took to the streets of London pledging to protect statues of historical figures who were targeted on the sidelines of the "Blacks Life is Important" protests in recent weeks.

Police in London urged people planning to attend anti-racist protests and anti-social gatherings on Saturday not to participate, citing government measures banning gatherings during the Corona virus (Covid-19) pandemic.

The anti-racism protests that were scheduled today Saturday were organized to avoid clashes with right-wing extremist groups and those who described themselves as "patriots" who promised to protect the monuments.

But some in central London are still expected to participate in the key date for the move, which includes a march from Hyde Park to Trafalgar Square.

The police confirmed that the two rallies should remain in the square, while any of the counter-protesters should stay on Whitehall Street and to the south of it.

The warnings came as concerns escalated over the repetition of sabotage and clashes with the police that took place at the end of last week, and violence between right-wing groups and activists protesting the slogan "Black Lives Matter" (black lives matter).

Britain witnessed a wave of protests sparked by the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed African American man who was strangled as a white policeman pressed his knee to his neck in Minneapolis during his arrest, which sparked outrage around the world.

Most of the protests were peaceful, but last weekend's demonstrations in London turned violent as crowds in Bristol, southwest England, toppled the statue of Edward Coulson, a 17th-century slave trader, and dumped him in the waters of the harbor.

Churchill's grandson

And Friday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that "extremists have kidnapped" the protests, while criticizing the targeting of the statues as "ridiculous and shameful" and also urged people not to gather.

The authorities concerned removed several memorials in central London as a precaution before Saturday's protests, including a statue of British leader during World War II Winston Churchill, who was mutilated with the word "racist" at the end of last week, and the "Sinotave" shrine for victims of World War One.

"A very small and very barbaric group of people" responsible for sabotage and "were acting in an indescribable and cowardly manner," said Churchill's grandson, former Conservative MP Nicholas Swames.

"I find it strange that millions of people all over the world will be amazed that the Statue of Churchill and Cynotave, the monument of our national war, could be distorted in this disgusting way," he wrote in the British newspaper, The Daily Telegraph. He continued, "It looks like a society that has lost its compass."

Global protests

In France, police fired tear gas on Saturday at protesters in central Paris, where thousands gathered in a demonstration against racism and police violence.

Adama Traore supporters had called for the protest, which had not been obtained by the police. Traore is a 24-year-old black man who died in 2016 while in police custody near Paris. His case reappeared due to Floyd's death in the United States.

Several thousand anti-racist demonstrators had gathered in central Paris on Saturday to condemn police violence, with the wave of anger continuing to sweep the world after Floyd's death.

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner admitted last week that there were "certain suspicions of racism" within French law enforcement agencies. His comments drew condemnation from the police unions.

In Australia, thousands of people demonstrated on Saturday in a number of cities in the country in support of the values ​​of racial equality, despite official warnings that the demonstrations may undermine the success achieved in curbing the spread of the emerging Corona virus.

The largest demonstration took place in the capital of Western Australia, Perth, where several thousand people gathered in a park, holding up signs of "black lives matter" and waving the flags of indigenous people.

Smaller protests for indigenous rights were organized in Darwin, the capital of the Northern Territory, and towns in neighboring Queensland, two regions that contained many indigenous communities.

In Thailand, hundreds gathered in Taipei Park with signs bearing slogans such as "This is a movement, not a moment." The participants knelt on one knee in mourning for the blacks who were killed by police in the United States and held eight minutes of silence to pay tribute to Floyd.

Dozens also marched in Tokyo in the rain to raise awareness about racial discrimination.