All through the course of this year, people from all over the world, irrespective of tribal, religious or racial differences, have come together in solidarity to speak out against their respective governments.
For most of these protests, the highlight of it has been the issue of police brutality and racial inequality. The most significant protest against police violence right now has been going on for weeks in Nigeria in a situation that has turned bloody.
Here are six of the biggest protests across the world that have shaped the year 2020.
1. United States
In the United States, protests following the death of George Floyd in May lasted for nearly two weeks. The brutal murder of Floyd sparked protests across the country in all 50 states.
On May 25, Floyd, a black man, died after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeled on his neck for close to nine minutes. The next day, protests began in Minneapolis; by May 27, they had spread across the nation.
In reaction to the protests, governors and mayors around the country set curfews. Police were criticized for their violent response to protesters.
Peaceful protesters were cleared out of a park in Washington, D.C., with tear gas and rubber bullets so President Donald Trump could have his photo taken in front of a church.
Thousands of protesters from around the world — from the UK to New Zealand — demonstrated in solidarity to the situation in the US.
2. The Philippines
In the Philippines, protesters sounded the alarm over a new anti-terror bill that some fear will suppress free speech. Protesters took to the streets over the new anti-terror bill.
The Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, which has been heavily pushed by President Rodrigo Duterte, would broaden the definition of terrorism and give police additional arrest and surveillance powers.
“We think this is against the constitution,” human rights lawyer Jose Manuel Diokno told Reuters. “Given the broader definition of terrorism, the administration’s critics could be tagged as suspected terrorists.”
3. Canada
In Toronto, the death of Regis Korchinski-Paquet while police were in her apartment led to protests against racial inequity.
Protesters marched to highlight the deaths in the US of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, and of Toronto’s Regis Korchinski-Paquet in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on May 30, 2020.
In Toronto, protesters rallied following the death of Korchinski-Paquet. Korchinski-Paquet, a black woman, died after falling from the balcony of her 24th-floor apartment. She had called the police for help, and they were in her apartment at the time of her fall.
“The family strongly believes that Regis’ death could have been prevented,” said a statement from her family, according to CBC/Radio-Canada.
4. Israel
Israelis protested the killing of a teacher at the hands of Israeli police and rallied in solidarity with United States protesters. In Tel Aviv, Israel June 2, 2020, people held placards as they protested in solidarity with those protesting the death of George Floyd.
Protests against police brutality also flooded the streets in major cities across Israel, from Bethlehem to Haifa, after the recent killing of Eyad Hallaq by Israeli police.
Hallaq, a 32-year-old Palestinian man with autism, was unarmed when he was shot by two officers near the special-needs school in Old City Jerusalem where he worked.
One of the officers, whose identity was not made public, claimed that he thought Hallaq was a “terrorist” because the man was wearing gloves.
In Tel Aviv, several hundred protesters gathered to show support against the killing of George Floyd, bearing signs that read “Black Lives Matter” and leading chants of “Say their names.”
5. Brazil
In Brazil, residents turned out to protest police brutality and to weigh in on ongoing investigations against the country’s president.
Police in Brazil used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse Brazilian demonstrators protesting against police brutality in Rio de Janeiro and Curitiba over the weekend of May 29, in solidarity with US movements.
Brazil, where over half the population identifies as black or multiracial, has itself had a murky history with racism and discrimination. Citizens are no strangers to the excessive use of police violence that often results in the deaths of black children.
6. Nigeria
Nationwide protests began on October 8, 2020, calling on the authorities to abolish an abusive police unit called the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).
In response, the police have shot tear gas, water cannons, and live rounds at protesters, killing at least four people and wounding many others. Armed thugs have also disrupted protests and attacked protesters.
The protests were sparked by a video that surfaced online on October 3, allegedly showing a SARS officer shooting a young man in Delta state.
This generated an outcry on social media, especially Twitter, where the hashtag #EndSARS began trending globally and led to protests across Nigeria and in other cities around the world.
Human Rights Watch has documented human rights abuses by the Nigerian police force for years.
