A ceremony in memory of George Floyd began on Thursday June 4 in Minneapolis. It is in this city in the north of the United States that an American black died, suffocated under the knee of a white policeman, on May 25, triggering a wave of protests against police violence and racism throughout the country. 

A large crowd gathered in the early afternoon at North Central Christian University to pay their first public tribute to this 46-year-old father, who died of asphyxiation during his arrest.

The ceremony notably began with a moving interpretation of "Amazing Grace" after the mayor of Minneapolis knelt, crying, before the coffin. 

"Pandemic of Racism"

Eight minutes and 46 seconds of silence were observed by the participants. This is the time spent by a white policeman kneeling on the neck of George Floyd.

Speaking, the brother of the deceased, Philonise Floyd, denounced with applause "the pandemic of racism and discrimination" which prevailed. 

Reverend Al Sharpton, a figure in the civil rights movement, also delivered a eulogy in this big city in the state of Minnesota. "The time has come to hold the justice system accountable," he said to America, assuring that the country has entered "the era in which we are s 'occupies police methods ". 

"There is no excuse" for leaving George Floyd on the ground for so long, said the Reverend, after the long minutes of meditation. "We must not let this go, we cannot continue to live like that," he had said before in his funeral praise, before calling for silence.

Another ceremony in memory of George Floyd is scheduled for Saturday in Raeford, in his home state of North Carolina, before his funeral on Monday in Houston, Texas, where he grew up before joining Minneapolis. The last funeral ceremony on Tuesday will be restricted to those close to the ex-vigil.    

No major incident 

Filmed by a passerby, the slow agony of the father, immobilized on the ground for almost nine minutes under the knee of the white policeman Derek Chauvin despite his pleas - "I can't breathe" - caused an atmosphere of tension that the United States had not known since the 1960s and the civil rights movement. 

Demonstrations, sometimes degenerating into looting and violence, took place daily throughout the country to denounce police brutality, racism and social inequalities exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Several major American cities have declared night curfews to try to contain the overflows. On Thursday, they were lifted in Los Angeles and Washington.  

Police have made a total of nearly 10,000 arrests in the country in recent days, according to an estimate reported by American media. 

But after more than a week of excesses, the night from Wednesday to Thursday proved to be calmer overall, without any major incident to be deplored, the demonstrators having obtained a first "victory" in the legal field. 

As they claimed, the prosecutor investigating the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis redefined the facts as intentional homicide, charging Derek Chauvin with "unpremeditated murder" - a count of 40 years imprisonment - and aiding and abetting the three other agents present.

With AFP 

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