Tag: Protest

WHO urges ‘dialogue’ with virus protesters

  by Nina LARSON Agence France Presse GENEVA, Switzerland (AFP) — The World Health Organization urged governments Monday to engage with people demonstrating against Covid-19 restrictions and listen to their concerns, but stressed protesters needed to understand the virus was dangerous. Asked about recent demonstrations in a number of countries against coronavirus restrictions, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said it was important to “listen to what people are asking, what people are saying”. “We should […]

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Landmark protest in Mauritius over giant oil spill

PORT LOUIS, Mauritius (AFP) — Tens of thousands of Mauritians protested Saturday in the capital Saint-Louis over the government’s handling of a giant oil spill off its pristine Indian Ocean coast. The Japanese bulk carrier MV Wakashio crashed into a reef off southeastern Mauritius last month spewing more than 1,000 tonnes of oil into waters that are home to mangrove forests and endangered species. After the boat split in two, the larger piece was towed […]

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More than 200 detained on Belarus election day: rights group

MINSK, Belarus (AFP) — At least 213 people were detained in Belarus as police cracked down on protesters claiming strongman leader Alexander Lukashenko rigged Sunday’s presidential election, a prominent rights group said on Monday. The Viasna Human Rights Centre said at least 110 people were detained in the capital Minsk, including at least 40 at or near polling stations and 70 during a pro-opposition protest. Others were detained in various cities. © Agence France-Presse

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Lebanon police scuffle with demonstrators angered by blast

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AFP) — Lebanese security forces late Thursday fired tear gas to disperse dozens of anti-government demonstrators angered by a cataclysmic blast widely seen as the most shocking expression yet of their government’s incompetence. The scuffles in central Beirut took place in a ravaged street leading to parliament, the wreckage from Tuesday’s explosion still littering the entire area. Protesters had sparked a blaze, vandalized stores and lobbed stones at security forces, according to the […]

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London Churchill statue to be uncovered before Macron visit

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — The London statue of British wartime leader Winston Churchill that was controversially boxed up after anti-racism protests will be uncovered for a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron, the mayor’s office said Wednesday. “The covering around the Winston Churchill statue will be removed for the visit of President Macron to London,” said a spokesman for mayor Sadiq Khan. Other monuments to Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi, and the Cenotaph war […]

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Over 100 arrested after violent disorder at far-right linked UK protest

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) — Police in London said they arrested more than 100 people on Saturday after far-right protesters holding a counter-demonstration against anti-racism activists clashed with officers. Thousands of people defied the coronavirus restrictions to assemble in and around Parliament Square, in the centre of the capital. That required “major” policing operation the Metropolitan Police Service said, adding that they had encountered “pockets of violence directed towards our officers”. Television footage showed some […]

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Minneapolis council vows police dismantling as protests continue

by Diane DESOBEAU / Brian KNOWLTON WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Councilors in the US city of Minneapolis pledged late Sunday to dismantle and rebuild the police department, after the death in custody of George Floyd sparked nationwide protests about racism in law enforcement, pushing the issue onto the national political agenda. Floyd was killed on May 25 when white Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee on the unarmed black man’s neck for […]

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Anti-terror unit arrests far-right extremists at US protests

LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Three far-right extremists arrested by an anti-terror unit at Las Vegas protests over the killing of an African American man by police were charged Wednesday with inciting violence, officials said. The men allegedly belong to the “Boogaloo” movement, which has adopted Hawaiian shirts as a uniform and which promotes “a coming civil war and/or collapse of society,” said a Nevada federal prosecutor. The US has been roiled by nationwide […]

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Charges filed against all four police officers in Floyd killing

by Joy Powell with Chris Lefkow in Washington MINNEAPOLIS, United States (AFP) — Three Minneapolis policemen were charged Wednesday for their role in the killing of a handcuffed black man that ignited nationwide protests, while more serious charges were filed against the officer primarily responsible. Minnesota prosecutors had announced a third-degree murder indictment Friday against 44-year-old Derek Chauvin — the white officer filmed kneeling on the neck of George Floyd for nearly nine minutes while […]

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New York night-time curfew extended to June 7 after looting

NEW YORK, United States (AFP) — New York’s mayor Bill de Blasio on Tuesday extended a night-time curfew for the city until June 7 following outbreaks of violence and looting during anti-racism protests gripping America. The mayor added that the deployment of National Guard soldiers, seen in other protest-hit states and demanded by President Donald Trump, was not necessary, however. De Blasio told reporters that a 8:00 pm to 5:00 am curfew, due to come […]

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Panama protest over lifting of quarantine

PANAMA CITY, Panama (AFP ) — Trade unions took to the streets of Panama City on Tuesday in protest at the government’s decision to reopen the country’s economy, claiming it will lead to a spike in infections and deaths from the coronavirus. “We all know that the number is going to skyrocket, both in terms of infections and deaths,” said Saul Mendez, secretary general of the country’s largest union Suntracs. “It’s like throwing everything the […]

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Spain health workers protest at virus shortages

MADRID, Spain (AFP) — Spanish health workers on the front line of the fight against coronavirus gathered on Monday outside hospitals in the Madrid region to rally against shortages of protective equipment. Nurses, doctors and other workers protested in their uniforms, some in scrubs, under the slogan “health workers essential”. They stood silently for two minutes at the gates of several institutions in and around the capital, holding placards and homemade signs that read “we […]

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