George Floyd death: Hundreds gather for Black Lives Matter protest in London's Hyde Park
Hundreds of people gathered in London's Hyde Park to join a Black Lives Matter protest following the death of George Floyd in the United States.
George Floyd died last month while in police custody in the US city of Minneapolis.
The 46-year-old was filmed gasping and heard saying "I can’t breathe" as a police officer kneeled on his neck for almost nine minutes. His death sparked protests around the world.
People taking part in Wednesday's Hyde Park rally chanted "black lives matter" and "we will not be silent".
Among them was Star Wars actor John Boyega who made an emotional speech to the crowd saying "black lives have always mattered".
Boyega referenced two other black Americans who controversially died in the US, as well as the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence in London in 1993.
The central London rally comes after protests outside the US Embassy in south London as well as in Trafalgar Square.
Organisers of today's event said it was important to protest in the capital "to show solidarity".
Jaynielia, an 18-year-old student, said that the Black Lives Matter protest was important because “black innocent people are being killed by white police and it needs to stop”.
Around 3pm several hundred protesters left Hyde Park, with many climbing over fences to get onto a main road.
The demonstrators were blocking the Park Lane road by the park, stopping traffic including at least 10 double-decker buses.
Many protesters climbed onto sculptures and phone boxes, while others climbed on top of a cafe in Speakers’ Corner.
At Prime Minister's Questions Boris Johnson said he could understand the anger and the grief felt following the death of George Floyd.