A ceremony in memory of George Floyd took place Thursday in Minneapolis, the city where this black father died following a police intervention. Another ceremony is to be held in his native state, North Carolina, before a funeral Monday in Houston. At the same time, protests against racism and police violence continue in several American cities.

THE ESSENTIAL

Filmed by passers-by, the slow agony of George Floyd, a black father, under the knee of a white policeman on May 25, provoked a climate of tension that the United States had not experienced since the 1960s and the civil rights movement. On Thursday, the city of Minneapolis, the site of the tragedy, paid a vibrant tribute to the victim. The ceremony marks the start of a funeral still to pass through South Carolina and Texas.

Information to remember:

  • A first ceremony in memory of George Floyd was held Thursday in Minneapolis.
  • After the excesses earlier this week, New York, Washington, Seattle and Los Angeles ended the curfew.
  • The Civil Rights Association has filed a complaint against Donald Trump.

An almost national funeral

George Floyd's last trip took on the form of a national funeral. Thursday evening in Minneapolis. In front of the golden coffin, installed at the North Central Christian University, the mayor of the city knelt for a long time and broke down in tears.

The mayor of Minneapolis in tears in front of the coffin of George Floyd ... nothing to add. pic.twitter.com/zac4NcdWbp

- ismaël Houdassine (@ismaelScribe) June 4, 2020

Then, Reverend Al Sharpton, a figure in the civil rights struggle, spoke to elevate George Floyd to the status of a universal symbol. "The story of George Floyd is the story of black people. You've had your knee on our neck for 401 years. What happened to Floyd happens every day in this country, in education, in health, in all areas of life in America, "he said. Before adding: "It is time for us to get up and say, 'Get your knees out of our necks!'"

The ceremony was also marked by a period of silence of 8 minutes and 46 seconds, the time during which the police officer Derek Chauvin remained kneeling on the neck of George Floyd despite his pleas.  

The body of George Floyd will now take the direction of North Carolina, where he was born and raised, in this south still steeped in his slave past. A ceremony is scheduled for Saturday. Finally, the golden coffin will arrive at its final destination: Houston, the big city of Texas, where the family of George Floyd lives. A public tribute will be paid to him Monday, before a private funeral on Tuesday with the announced presence of Joe Biden, the former vice-president of Barack Obama, and candidate for the White House.

End of curfews in several cities

Demonstrations, very generally peaceful and organized, once again took place throughout the country to demand justice and an end to racial discrimination. Thousands of people of all origins marched through the streets of New York as well as in Washington, Seattle and Los Angeles, three cities where the curfew was lifted.

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 situation seemed to calm down overall.

Bail for suspects set between $ 750,000 and $ 1 million

The prosecutor investigating the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on Wednesday reclassified the facts into intentional homicide and charged with complicity the three other agents present at the time of the tragedy. The latter appeared in court Thursday for their bail to be fixed: between 750,000 and one million dollars each.

Complaint against Donald Trump and several members of the executive

Donald Trump made manu militari evacuate the surroundings of the White House Monday evening to pose in front of a church, Bible in hand. This dispersal of protesters has now earned the American president a lawsuit filed by the powerful civil rights association ACLU and other organizations. It also targets the Ministers of Justice and Defense. "What happened to our members Monday night in the nation's capital was an affront to all of our rights," said April Goggans, of Black Lives Matter DC, quoted in the press release. ACLU. "We will not be silenced by tear gas and rubber bullets. Now is the time to be heard."

LAW & ORDER!

- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 4, 2020

"PUBLIC ORDER!", The American president tweeted in the early hours of Thursday morning in capital letters in what will certainly be one of the themes of his re-election campaign until the presidential election on November 3.

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International mobilization

Since the death of George Floyd, demonstrations have multiplied in other countries, to denounce racism and police violence. In Austria in particular, the police reported a "very large crowd" and estimated at around 50,000 people the number of participants who marched Thursday in Vienna.

For her part, Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, condemned during an interview on the public channel ZDF the "murder" of George Floyd by police officers and racism in the United States. "This murder of George Floyd is a terrible thing. Racism is a terrible thing. American society is very polarized," she said.