George Floyd Protests Hit Nigeria, Ghana Next?

Series of protests have hit America following the death of George Floyd – a black man - in the hands of the police.

The demonstrations were sparked after Mr Floyd's final moments were caught on camera. In the footage, a white police officer is seen pinning him to the ground by his neck, despite him pleading that he couldn't breathe.

Besides the outrage from all over the internet, the local protests which began in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metropolitan area of Minnesota has spread throughout the United States and now, worldwide.

In Paris, over 20,000 people rallied to protest Floyd's death and demand justice in the case of the death of Adama Traoré, a French black man who died in custody in 2016.

Protests also were held in The Hague, Netherlands on Tuesday evening after demonstrations over the weekend in London and Berlin.

A spokesperson from the European Commission has said officials in Brussels are hoping that “all issues” related to the protests “will be settled swiftly and in full respect for the rule of law and human rights.”

A statement from the head African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat has condemned the killing of George Floyd and lamented “continuing discriminatory practices against Black citizens of the United States of America.”

In Nigeria, some citizens stormed the streets of Lagos State at the early hours of Tuesday [June 2, 2020] to protest the murder of George Floyd and to call for an end to racial injustice.

The protest was organized by the Black Lives Matter Movement in Nigeria (BLMMN). The convener, Josephine Okpara, stormed the streets of Victoria Island, Lagos, with other protesters.

They carried placards with words such as "Black Lives Matter" and "Justice For George Floyd" written on them as they condemned the killing of African Americans in the United States of America.

There have also been indications that these protests might hit Ghana soon, despite the ban on public gatherings following the covid-19 outbreak.

The Ghana Police has however, stepped in quickly to admonish citizens against participating in the ensuing protests.

The police's stance did not auger well with some persons, as others have called on the Ghana Police to retract its statement deterring Ghanaians from getting involved in the "George FLoyd Protests"

A statement from a group, Coalition for Independence Now, on facebook argued that, Ghana has several reasons to participate in the protests considering its relationship with the United States.

Despite the heated debates on Ghana's participation in the "George Floyd Protests", the president and past leaders have commiserated with the black community in America  and condemned the troubling brutatiltiy on blacks.

Some persons also have advised that Africans be introspective in their stance towards the  issue of "brutality on blacks",  arguing that some African governments also treat their citizens badly.