Instagram goes dark when protests take to social media

The protests in the United States began in Minneapolis after the African American George Floyd was killed by a police officer who strangled him with a knee to the neck in an May 25 intervention. The protests have since spread to various locations around the country and engagement has grown greatly on social media.

On Tuesday, more than eight million photos were posted under the hashtag #blackouttuesday on Instagram to highlight racism and police violence and show solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.

At the same time, a digital protest is also taking place in Stockholm in solidarity with Black Lives Matter, organized by the Afro-Swedes 'National Organization, Stop Afrophobia and the Afro-Swedes' Forum For Justice, together with the promoter Aysha Jones.

Participants are invited to share a protest photo on their Facebook page while checking in at the US Embassy in Stockholm.

- There must be a change in the way in which black residents are treated. But also that the common people start to check themselves and start checking each other. Racism is not the problem of blacks, it is the problem of whites and they are the ones who can fix it. The protest not only targets the US embassy and the United States, but also to all countries including Sweden, Aysha Jones told P3 News.