From Murals To Tweets: The Global South Shows Solidarity With George Floyd Protests
Around the world, people have held vigils, organized protests and painted murals this week to show solidarity with the Black Lives Matter protests taking place across America.
These events are also taking place in countries struggling with their own crises β conflict, poverty, the pandemic. America's loud call for justice after the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and many more black Americans has resonated.
In Nigeria, a dozen protesters gathered in front of the U.S. embassy in Abuja with signs that said "Black life matters." In Ghana, the president tweeted a drawing of George Floyd and wrote: "Black people, the world over, are distraught by the killing of an unarmed black man."
And in Syria's war-torn city of Idlib, artist Aziz Asmar says he was moved to create a mural after watching the media coverage around Floyd's death.
"I decided to paint George Floyd on the rubble of a building destroyed by aviation ... to send a message to the world that despite the international negligence and blindness of the killing of civilians in Syria over a period of 10 years, we have a humanitarian duty to sympathize with all the oppressed in the world," he wrote to NPR. "Because we are advocates of peace, we hope that racism and crime will disappear and that the world will enjoy happiness."
Here are more examples of how people around the world are honoring black lives and demanding racial equality.
It truly warms my heart to see Syrians supporting BLM even with everything theyβre going through in Syria! Syrian artists Aziz Asmar and Anis Hamdoun in the town of Binnish in Idlib!
β πππβ·ββ (@smpjmth) June 1, 2020
June 1, 2020.#BlackLiveMatters #GeorgeFloyd pic.twitter.com/hEpIr9zulP
#GeorgeFloyd #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd pic.twitter.com/LOIcKLcB5i
β Nana Akufo-Addo (@NAkufoAddo) June 1, 2020
BREAKING: Nigerians Protest At US Embassy In Abuja Over #GeorgeFloyd's Death | Sahara Reporters
β Sahara Reporters (@SaharaReporters) June 2, 2020
The protesters defied the armed policemen stationed at the embassy to drive home their message. #BlackLivesMatter #JusticeForGeorgeFloyd
READ MORE: https://t.co/qN4Okmh9XL pic.twitter.com/ne1pnZXQW0