Police praise peaceful Black Lives Matter protest crowd

West Midlands Police teams say there were no arrests and no disorder after yesterday's Black Lives Matter protest in Birmingham. It's in contrast to scenes of violence and disruption at other protests across the country and in America.

People were originally told to gather at Victoria Square but, due to a growing amount of interest on social media, the City Council relocated the group to a bigger space outside Birmingham Library.

The West Midlands Police website posts:

"We ... have consistently said that our approach is to engage, explain and encourage people, and we will only enforce the regulations when absolutely necessary.

We put in place a proportionate policing plan for this protest, which involved a small number of officers in place to engage with the protesters.

We will continue to work with communities and those taking part in any future protests wherever possible to ensure people’s safety.

We ask that people continue to work with officers at this challenging time.

West Midlands Police, and our colleagues around the country, stand alongside all those across the globe who are appalled and horrified by the way George Floyd lost his life".

Our Correspondent Charlotte Cross was at the protest:

This weekend marches and protests will also take place in cities including Nottingham and Leicester.

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