MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th June, 2020) Two Australian reporters were assaulted while covering the rally against racism and police brutality in London that erupted in light of the death of African American man George Floyd in police custody in late May, media reported on Thursday.
On Wednesday, several thousand people gathered in Hyde Park in central London in solidarity with US protesters. Initially, the demonstration was held peacefully with its participants marching and�shouting out Floyd's name and chanting "Black lives matter" and "No justice, no peace" slogans. However, clashes with the police took place when several protesters attempted to break through the cordon around the prime minister's residence. People were throwing empty plastic bottles at the police, and one officer was injured during the unrest. By 8:30 p.m. local time (19:30 GMT), the situation had been normalized, and the protesters started dispersing.
According to the ABC broadcaster, the attacked Australian journalists were Sophie Wash and Ben Avery, Nine news Europe reporters. The latter was attacked with having his microphone snatched while broadcasting live on the Today show.
According to the media, Walsh was attacked by a man allegedly yelling "Allah Akbar" before making stabbing motions and grabbing her. The man was chased down and detained by the police following the incident.
On May 25, Floyd died in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota. A video of the arrest showed a white police officer pressing with his knee on Floyd's neck for at least eight minutes while the African American man lied handcuffed on his stomach. The initial protests against police brutality and racism in various cities in the United States were soon replaced by riots, complete with violence against police and civilians as well as acts of vandalism, arson and looting.
Rallies against police violence and racial inequality have since taken place in many countries, including Germany, Greece, Finland and the United Kingdom over recent days.
