Monday marks the opening of the trial of the alleged murderer of George Floyd in the United States.

In downtown Minneapolis, 2,000 members of the National Guard have been deployed for fear of overflows.

The 12 jurors must be selected.

They will be responsible for convicting or acquitting Derek Chauvin, the police officer accused of having killed George Floyd.

A historic trial opens Monday in Minneapolis, in the north of the United States: that of the white police officer accused of killing African-American George Floyd on May 25 and provoking an anti-racist outburst around the world.

This eagerly awaited trial is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. (2 p.m. GMT) with the selection of jurors, but final debates on the exact characterization of the charges against Derek Chauvin could delay the proceedings.

For now, the 44-year-old man, 19 of whom with the Minneapolis Police Department, has been charged with murder and manslaughter.

Released on bail, he will appear free.

"I can't breathe"

On May 25, he intervened with three colleagues to arrest George Floyd on suspicion of using a forged twenty dollar bill to buy himself a pack of cigarettes.

In the middle of the street, and in front of frightened passers-by, Derek Chauvin had remained kneeling for nearly nine minutes on the neck of the black forty-something, handcuffed and pinned to the ground, although the latter had launched twenty times: "I can't breathe ", "I can not breathe".

>> Find Europe Matin in replay and podcast here

These were his last words and they became the rallying cry of millions of demonstrators who, alerted by a video of the tragedy, took to the streets of Miami in Los Angeles, but also London, Paris or Sydney to demand justice.

The mobilization, which opened a fundamental debate in the United States on the methods of the police and the racist past of the country, subsided in the fall.

Gatherings in Minneapolis

But, as the trial neared, she resumed in Minneapolis, where several rallies were held over the weekend.

A white march, in particular, where Europe 1 went. "We know that George Floyd was killed because of a knee placed on the back of his neck (...)", recalled Nekima-Levy Armstrong, activist of the American civil rights.

"We will never forget it".

In anticipation, the city of Minneapolis, rocked by violent riots in late May, has already strengthened its security system and mobilized thousands of police and National Guard soldiers.

Given the huge public interest, the trial will be filmed and broadcast live throughout the United States.

After the first three weeks devoted to the selection of the jury, he will get to the heart of the matter on March 29.

The jury is expected to retire to deliberate in the second half of April.

Its verdict must be rendered unanimously by the twelve members.

The three other police officers involved in the drama, Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane, and Tou Thao, will be tried together in August.