Thousands of protesters chanting “I can’t breathe” gathered in central Amsterdam on Monday in solidarity with George Floyd, a black American who died in police custody in the United States last week.

Around 10,000 filled Amsterdam’s Dam square, ignoring calls for social distancing and shouting “Black lives matter” and “No justice, no peace”.

The crowd blocked traffic, but no violence was reported.

Video footage showed a white police officer in Minneapolis kneeling on the neck of Floyd, 46, for nearly nine minutes last Monday before he died.

Derek Chauvin, the since-fired 44-year-old police officer involved in the incident, has been charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter. He was released on $500,000 bail and is due to appear in court on June 8, according to jail records.

Reuters