George Floyd

Discussion: How systemic racism intersects with the coronavirus pandemic

Discussion: How systemic racism intersects with the coronavirus pandemic

The World

June 17, 2020 · 3:30 PM EDT

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The World staff

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Calls for social justice and police reform have gained momentum as unrest continues in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, a black man whose death at the hands of a white officer has roused worldwide protests.

Floyd’s brother, Philonise Floyd, addressed the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva by video Wednesday, calling for an investigation into US police brutality and racial discrimination.

“The way you saw my brother tortured and murdered on camera is the way black people are treated by police in America,” Floyd told the council.

Related discussion: Stopping the spread of misinformation amid the coronavirus crisis

The calls for social justice and police reform are intersecting with the coronavirus crisis. Around the world, the pandemic is hitting minority communities harder than others. And recent incidents of racial discrimination around the US have shed light on the moral and economic costs of racism.

As part of our regular series discussing the coronavirus crisis, The World’s Elana Gordon moderated a live conversation with David Harris, managing director of the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race & Justice at Harvard Law School. They discussed the drivers of current unrest — and steps to consider to create a more just society.

The conversation is presented jointly by The Forum at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Reuters contributed reporting.

Black Lives Matter organizers in the US and UK compare and contrast the global movement

Black Lives Matter organizers in the US and UK compare and contrast the global movement

The World's host Marco Werman speaks with Siana Bangura, an author, poet and organizer in London, and Miski Noor, an organizer and writer with Black Visions Collective in Minneapolis. They've each been organizing and pushing for changes to policing in their cities for years.

The World

June 16, 2020 · 4:15 PM EDT

By
The World staff

Producer
Daniel Ofman

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Demonstrators participate in a Black Lives Matter protest following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody, in London, Britain, June 13, 2020.

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Simon Dawson/Reuters

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From Minneapolis to London and across the globe, protests continue over racism, police brutality, inequality and injustice. 

To understand what activists see as a moment of global solidarity, The World’s host Marco Werman spoke with two of them.

Siana Bangura is an author, poet and organizer in London, and Miski Noor is an organizer and writer with Black Visions Collective in Minneapolis. They’ve each been pushing for changes to policing in their cities for years.

Related: Why many in public health support anti-racism protests — with some precautions amid coronavirus

Marco Werman: I would just like to know first, what have the past two to three weeks or so been like for both of you? Miski, what has it been like for you? 

Miski Noor: It’s been, you know, an incredibly painful time in Minneapolis, seeing our folks be attacked and being attacked ourselves by police and white supremacists, being overtaken by the National Guard and having so many of our community spaces burnt. What we’re trying to do is really build this city. We want justice for George Floyd, and we know justice isn’t enough. Which is why we’ve been saying that now is the time to defund the police and invest in the community. Right now, what I was doing before getting on with you is listening to the Minneapolis City Council vote to disband the police department, right? So it’s been hard, and it’s been incredibly transformational, and it’s been such a powerful, powerful thing to witness. 

Siana, London has seen what’s going on in the States in Minneapolis. What have you been feeling the last two or three weeks? 

Siana Bangura: Firstly, Miski, massive solidarity to you folks. So I just want to thank you for that. And in terms of how we are trying to express solidarity over here, this is a moment of reckoning. So in terms of how I’ve been feeling, I — you know, for the past two weeks I have been in a state of all sorts of emotions, quite frankly, which I think is fair to say for a lot of black people, if not the wider global community, the diaspora. Whatever happens in the US often, if not always, has a knock-on effect on the rest of us.

And I think, you know, I have been banging on for the longest time. This is just a fact of history that — let’s never forget that the UK is the belly of the beast. It’s the racist parents of the USA. And so in my country, people have a really big culture of deflection, of saying it’s not so bad here. “At least, you know, we’re not as bad as the USA.” And it’s like, where do you think they learn everything from right? And so we are now forcing people to take a really long, hard look in the mirror in this country. This particular time, if I may say, feels a little bit different. I do strongly feel that. We’ve never had this in the midst of a global pandemic where in the UK the black communities here have been disproportionately affected by the consequences of the COVID outbreak, right? And then you see that on top of that, in the same way that our siblings in the USA are also disproportionately wildly affected by the COVID outbreak. They are also — the police still have time to also kill you on top of that. And that is clearly unbearable. One big thing we’ve been doing is we’re saying, well, actually, this is a time to reckon with the fact that actually this country also has a prison-industrial complex and this country, also kills black people. So we stand in solidarity but want to you use this moment to also say actually, look in the mirror the UK, your history is disgusting. You’re not innocent either. 

Noor: Yes. I think something that gets lost very easily is the globalness of blackness, right? 

Bangura: Absolutely. 

Noor: And I think that, like, it’s really important to even name just the history of what the police is in this country and what they are intended to do. Right? So black communities are living in persistent fear of being killed by state authorities like the police. And so it’s happening in Minneapolis is not happening just all over the United States, but also all over the world. 

Related: Black Lives Matter protests renew parallel debates in Brazil, Colombia

So Miski and Siana, I don’t know if this is the first time since the killing of George Floyd that each of you has had the chance to be speaking across borders with another activist in another country about what’s happened since his death. But since you are both here now, what would you ask each other about where the movement goes next? Like, how do you see your work benefiting the other? 

Bangura: Oh, I love that question. These have been great. I’m just really enjoying hearing Miski talk because it just gives me — yeah, It just gives me all of hope. Like I said, we are looking towards the USA, but also we’re looking within ourselves and within our context. Because it’s really important to understand — there are so many similarities, but it’s not the same. And sometimes, in fact, often we get stuck on trying to do the exact same thing that’s happening in the USA here, and it doesn’t work because of the histories. But I guess a question I’m actually really interested in, Miski, is how are you making sure, I suppose, that you’re bringing the community along with you every step of the way and maintaining that trust and clear communication? I don’t know if that makes sense, but yeah.

Noor: I appreciate that question. Right, because it’s a moment of transformation. Right? We are not the same organization that we were two and a half weeks ago. And so it’s about looking outside of ourselves because it’s very easy for this moment for us to all of a sudden feel accountable to everybody and then let everybody down. Right? 

Bangura: Absolutely.

Noor: Yeah, so I think it’s about trying to not aim for perfection, but aim for integrity. 

Miski, as you talk about community-based focus in activism, I want to come back to something you both brought up a few minutes ago. There’s a recent history in the 60s and 70s of black activists in the US connecting globally with Pan-African movements, for example. Do either of you see that the full power of this movement right now is international, or is the center of gravity of organized activism right now at a much more local level dealing with local problems?  

Noor: Siana, you to go first?   

Bangura: Yeah, I think this is really, again, a really good question. And you know what my instinct immediately is, like, of course this is international. And I think the bottom line that we have to be internationalists about vision. But I think it’s not an either-or. And I think I’m trying really hard to make sure we don’t fall into binaries. On the one hand, we need to be thinking internationally, learning from what our siblings all over the globe are doing, because remember actually, we’re talking, you know specifically about the U.S. and the UK, but we know that the impact with George Floyd’s death has had ramifications across the globe. Right? We’ve seen lots of stuff going on. But that said, also, it’s really important now more than ever to be looking locally. 

Miski, your thoughts? 

Noor: Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’m, like, you know, queer theory. Both and. Both and. You know?! Of course, we need all of it. I mean, we see ourselves responsible to a larger ecosystem of black organizing. Right. The fight’s going to look different on the ground. And our work is more powerful when we’re actually connected to each other. And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that anti-blackness is global. right. And so it’s definitely both and. This is local and global. 

There’s so much more to discuss, and we’re going to keep on discussing it, but I just want to finally ask you both. I mean, personally, how hard is this? Like, how do you move forward? How do you find the energy to keep it sustainable? What’s your advice? 

Bangura: Oh gosh. [laughter] This is really hard because it’s been so emotional, so emotional. The first few days, weeks, I just felt the global grief and it was super duper heavy, like, on a personal level, and actually made it very difficult for me to be able to move forward. That said though, I feel like I’ve been like held by the people I’m organizing with and the wider community. And why I can see, although change is slow, but because I think this feels a little different to what we had before. It gives me hope. And I would like to say that, you know, although tearing down statues does not a revolution make. Right? But some of the things I’ve been seeing in the UK it’s just like — even, you know, some symbolic actions, it’s kind of lifted my mood. Like, I want to see more of that stuff, but also remember, that is the symbolism, but it’s the kind of thing I noticed it lifted my mood the minute I saw that. I like seeing the people be like, okay, we’re doing our thing, we’re actually going to be empowered. I also understand this is a lifelong mission, quite frankly. And I’ve signed up for the lifelong mission. So I think I understand it comes at the peaks and troughs. So it’s making sure that we all are clear that we’re in this for the long run. I think that actually is a healthy way to move forward. 

Miski, where do you find the energy?  

Noor: Siana’s answer is so hopeful. I’m like, do we have a choice? [laughter] You know, I mean, it’s incredibly painful to feel the individual grief and loss as a black person, knowing that this is how the system works and is intended to work. And then on top of that, trying to be organizing for the conditions in which this doesn’t happen. And so what’s really been fortifying me is, I think — you know, I’ve learned a lot of lessons over the last five years. I have some real lessons about what it means to take care of our nervous systems. What does it mean to not internalize that? What does it mean to allow myself to cry when I need to and process grief and feelings. To try to be inside a connection, to meditate. And I think, like, the community has really showed up, right, in helping me to actually be able to take care of myself. I think that joy and that the power and the winning and the engagement of my community and the excitement has given me a lot of life. And so I think all of the change — you know, Octavia Butler says, “God is change.” All of that has been also really fortifying. 

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

North Korea destroyed the liaison office with the South; Beijing imposed coronavirus restrictions; France backs away from chokehold ban

North Korea destroyed the liaison office with the South; Beijing imposed coronavirus restrictions; France backs away from chokehold ban

The World

June 16, 2020 · 8:30 AM EDT

By
The World staff

A smoke rises from Kaesong Industrial Complex in this picture taken from the south in Paju, South Korea, June 16, 2020.

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Yonhap via Reuters

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Top of The World — our morning news round up written by editors at The World. Subscribe here.

In a dramatic escalation of tensions, North Korea blew up the liaison office used to improve relations with South Korea on Tuesday. Surveillance video released by South Korea’s Ministry of Defence showed the building, located in the border town of Kaesong, in a large explosion that appeared to bring down the four-story structure. The office, which effectively served as a de facto embassy for the two countries, has been closed since January due to the novel coronavirus.

The destruction of the office adds to tensions that have been rising over recent weeks, as North Korea has threatened to cut ties with the South for what it says is retaliation over propaganda leaflets critical of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un that have been sent over the border by human rights activists. The liaison office between the North and the South was established in 2018 as part of a series of projects aimed at reducing tensions.

What The World is following

In a move to stop a flare-up of new coronavirus cases, Beijing has imposed restrictions on public transport and banned high-risk people, such as those in close contact with others who have tested positive for COVID-19, from leaving the city. The new outbreak in China’s capital, where more than 100 cases have been reported since Thursday, has been traced to a large wholesale food center in the southwest of the city. 

Three Indian soldiers were killed today in a confrontation with Chinese troops in the disputed border region of Kashmir. They are the first casualties in decades to result from a clash between India and China in the disputed border region. The two nuclear powers have been locked in a standoff for weeks over boundary disputes.

France is now backing away from an ban on police use of chokeholds announced last week. France reversed course on the ban after officers voiced concerns that the move would threaten their lives. France had announced the ban after weeks of protests following the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer, which for many recalled the similar death of Adama Traoré in police custody in France in 2016.

From The WorldWhy many in public health support anti-racism protests — with some precautions amid coronavirus

Visitors look at a memorial at the site of the arrest of George Floyd, who died while in police custody, in Minneapolis, June 14, 2020.

Credit:

Eric Miller/Reuters 

Many health care workers say the coronavirus pandemic and systemic racism are intertwined. So when protests erupted across the globe in response to George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis, many health professionals understood the public outcry, despite the risks of being in large crowds.

When ‘oh, fudge’ won’t do: Researchers find benefits to swearing

Researchers at the Swear Lab at Keele University in the UK have studied the benefits of swearing. 

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iStockphoto

When you stub your toe, there’s nothing like letting out a string of expletives. But it turns out, there’s more to this release than you might think. Researchers have found that swearing can actually increase a person’s pain tolerance — and no, you can’t substitute in a PG equivalent like “Oh fudge!” Only the real thing will do.

Morning meme

What should replace recently toppled statues in the US, Britain and elsewhere? One suggestion that gained some viral traction on social media recently — air dancers.

Retweet if we should temporarily replace all racist monuments with air dancers while we build new non-racist monuments! pic.twitter.com/ln6xkLeO93

— Jack (@GayLaVie) June 10, 2020In case you missed itListen: Public health consequences of protests during a pandemic

People wearing masks and holding signs kneel during a Black Lives Matter protest in Trafalgar Square in London, Britain, June 5, 2020.

Credit:

Toby Melville/Reuters

Thousands have taken to the streets around the world to protest police brutality and systemic racism. But many public health experts are not as distressed about these large demonstrations as one might think. And, as the US targets the International Criminal Court with sanctions, the court makes a breakthrough in Sudan. Also, a team of psychology researchers in the UK has found that swearing can increase a person’s pain tolerance.

Don’t forget to subscribe to The World’s Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Soundcloud, RSS.

Black Lives Matter protests renew parallel debates in Brazil, Colombia

Black Lives Matter protests renew parallel debates in Brazil, Colombia

Across the Americas, police violence disproportionately targets young black men. The protests sparked by George Floyd's death in Minneapolis have shined a new light on police brutality in South America.

The World

June 15, 2020 · 2:45 PM EDT

By
Jorge Valencia

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A demonstrator wearing a face mask as a preventive measure against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), holds a sign that reads “George Floyd, justice” during a protest against the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd and the arrival of US troops in Colombian territory, in Bogotá, Colombia, on June 3, 2020.

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Luisa Gonzalez/Reuters

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One week before George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis, a young black man was fatally assaulted by police outside his home in a small town in southwestern Colombia.

Anderson Arboleda, 19, was chased by two police officers for breaking the pandemic curfew in the town of Puerto Tejada on May 20, his mother Claudia Ximena Arboleda said. When the officers caught up to him, they beat him over the head with batons and doused him in pepper spray. He died the next morning in a local hospital. 

Arboleda, like many teenagers, loved eating, listening to music and hanging out with friends. And, according to human rights advocates, he died the way too many young black Colombians do: at the hands of the police. But it wasn’t until after a video of Floyd’s killing in Minneapolis went viral that Arboleda’s death became mainstream news in Colombia. 

“It was strange for us seeing how these two stories went viral. The news media were doing special reports about George Floyd before they said anything about Anderson and the type of things that go on in our own country all the time.”

Alí Bantú Ashanti, attorney and director, Justicia Racial

“It was strange for us seeing how these two stories went viral,” said Alí Bantú Ashanti, an attorney in Bogotá who directs Justicia Racial, a human rights group. “The news media were doing special reports about George Floyd before they said anything about Anderson and the type of things that go on in our own country all the time.” 

While the history of police violence is different in every country, one common denominator across the Americas is officers’ disproportionate targeting of young black men. Floyd’s killing — and the protests it ignited worldwide — have given new life to debates over racial profiling in Colombia and Brazil.

Related: In France, the killing of George Floyd evokes the memory of Adama Traoré

In Colombia, young Afro Colombians face harassment from the police every day, Bantú Ashanti said. But their marginalization is wide-reaching. Afro Colombians have less access to health care and higher education and are more likely to live in poverty than the rest of the population. 

“Colombia is particular in the way that racism has always been denied,” Bantú Ashanti said. “When we point this out, mainstream society says that we’re being resentful and that we’re calling out an issue that doesn’t exist.”

This is likely a legacy of the deep historical roots of colonialism and enslavement across the continent. While the United States institutionalized discrimination through Jim Crow laws that lasted until the 1960s, former Spanish and Portuguese colonies never formally legalized it. 

“That kind of overt legal separation segregation did not occur in the modern Latin American republics. What you have instead in their case are ideas that tended to downplay discrimination and segregation.”

Jerome Branche, a Latin American literature professor, University of Pittsburgh

“That kind of overt legal separation segregation did not occur in the modern Latin American republics,” said Jerome Branche, a Latin American literature professor at the University of Pittsburgh who focuses on racialized modernity. “What you have instead in their case are ideas that tended to downplay discrimination and segregation.”

For example, in mainstream Brazil, it has long been believed that people of all races have equal access to opportunities. It’s a notion known as “racial democracy,” which for Paula Barreto, a sociologist at Federal University of Bahia in northern Brazil, has always has been and continues to be a myth.

Related: How one protester’s death by Colombian riot police polarized the movement

“Yes, we have color lines, we have racial segregation and we have racial inequalities,” Barreto said. “We have more black people concentrated in poor neighborhoods where the police are used to killing people.”

This is despite the work of Brazil’s modern black rights movement. In recent years, the Black Coalition for Rights has successfully campaigned against reversing affirmative action policies and against bills seeking to give the police more protections, as Americas Quarterly has reported.

But still, the recent protests in the US have helped bring attention to Brazil’s issue of racialized policing, Barreto said. Numerous statistics show about 3 of every 4 people killed by the police are black men. Barreto hopes the newly revived debate will inspire the country to do more for the civil rights of Afro Brazilians, she said.

“The American opinion and the international opinion about Brazil, in general, is important for Brazilians,” Barreto said. “Brazilians don’t want to see themselves as racists, and they don’t want to see their country associated with homicides of the black population.”

Why many in public health support anti-racism protests — with some precautions amid coronavirus

Why many in public health support anti-racism protests — with some precautions amid coronavirus

Many health care workers say the pandemic and systemic racism are intertwined. But they stress the need for people to take precautions as COVID-19 continues to spread.

The World

June 15, 2020 · 1:45 PM EDT

By
Elana Gordon

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Visitors look at a memorial at the site of the arrest of George Floyd, who died while in police custody, in Minneapolis, June 14, 2020.

Credit:

Eric Miller/Reuters 

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Charles Agyemang, who specializes in ethnic and migrant health inequalities at the University of Amsterdam, has long studied how social factors impact health. Lately, he’s focused on the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on racial and ethnic minorities in places like the UK, the US and the Netherlands.

So, when he saw the protests mounting across the globe in response to George Floyd’s death, including in his city — Amsterdam — he understood the public outcry.

He’d seen the disturbing images of what happened to Floyd, a black man who died on May 25 after a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for almost nine minutes.

“I think that people do have a right to protest because I think that, personally, as a minority, seeing what is happening, not only as a minority, I mean, ordinary human beings seeing what is happening, is just not right.”

Charles Agyemang, University of Amsterdam

“I think that people do have a right to protest because I think that, personally, as a minority, seeing what is happening, not only as a minority, I mean, ordinary human beings seeing what is happening, is just not right,” Agyemang said.

That’s a position echoed by many health care professionals as thousands have taken to the streets in recent weeks, from Philadelphia to Bristol, to demonstrate against police brutality and systemic racism. It may seem counterintuitive — large gatherings can be a recipe for new waves of the coronavirus — but many working in the medical field say racism and the pandemic are intertwined. 

Related: Sweden’s handling of coronavirus drives some people to relocate    

They also stress the need to take precautions to minimize the risks of attending big rallies.

“So, it’s a delicate balance I would say, that needs to be struck,” Agyemang said, emphasizing that it’s important for people who protest to try and social distance. “I think that something needs to be done. We know that, actually, discrimination also has a huge impact on health.” 

Dr. Oxiris Barbot, New York City’s health commissioner, says she wants to see equity and supports people’s right to protest.

“It has been really heartening to see the degree to which other countries have been protesting against racism,” she said. “My hope is that that will bring all of us, as a world, that much closer.”

At the same time, Barbot said she hopes that as people demonstrate, that they are doing it safely and reducing risks as much as possible. Her department shared tips early on and issued guidance.

That includes wearing a mask, using alcohol-based hand sanitizer, maintaining as much social distance as possible, staying around people you know who don’t have symptoms, and finding creative ways to make noise — such as with noisemakers instead of shouting, which can generate viral particles, she said.

Related: ‘Travel bubbles’: Who’s in and who’s out of the plan to save global tourism

Barbot and others also worry about the law enforcement side of protests: tear gas and pepper spray can create more dangerous situations and increase the risks of the spread of the new coronavirus, as can being arrested and confined in close quarters.

Law enforcement officers don’t always wear masks.

She says people can also take action right after a protest or large gathering to help reduce the potential harms.

“We want people to make sure they wash their hands, make sure that they remove their face coverings in a safe way — which is you remove your face covering, you put it aside, then you wash your hands — because, you know, if individuals are going back to households where they have, let’s say, someone who is over 65, someone who may have an underlying condition, we don’t want them to take a risk in exposing their loved one to COVID-19,” Barbot said.

She recommends that anyone who went to a demonstration gets tested three to five days later.

“If there are any concerns about whether or not they may be developing symptoms, the best thing that they can do is to separate themselves until they get their test results or until at least 10 days have elapsed.” 

Dr. Oxiris Barbot, New York City health commissioner

“If there are any concerns about whether or not they may be developing symptoms, the best thing that they can do is to separate themselves until they get their test results or until at least 10 days have elapsed,” she said.

Related: Racism against African Americans in China escalates amid coronavirus

Based on real-time hospital data so far, Barbot said the city has not observed an uptick in cases from when the protests erupted at the end of May. That might take a few more weeks to play out.

Last week, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, described protesting during the pandemic as risky and encouraged people to wear masks, but prefaced that by saying “almost everyone understands the need to be able to express your constitutional right, to be able to demonstrate in a peaceful way against something that is really a very important social issue.”

Jamie Slaughter-Acey, a social epidemiologist at the University of Minnesota, is also concerned about new outbreaks of the coronavirus, but that didn’t stop her from visiting the spot where Floyd died, with her 6-year-old daughter.

“It had tables in front of it, and it was like hand sanitizer stations. There are messages about trying to be as safe as possible,” Slaughter-Acey said, adding that it was emotional for her. “All along that you see people in the community celebrating the life of George Floyd and paying their respects to George Floyd.”

It might at first seem counterintuitive that public health leaders around the globe would not only support people demonstrating during the pandemic, but might even take part, despite knowing the health risks. 

Related: What South Africa can teach the US about racial justice and reconciliation

Uchechi Mitchell, a professor at the University of Illinois in Chicago, said racial inequities are closely connected to the pandemic and how it’s playing out across the globe.

“I don’t want it to come off as though the public health profession doesn’t care as much about the coronavirus pandemic.”

Uchechi Mitchell ​​​​​​, University of Illinois in Chicago

“I don’t want it to come off as though the public health profession doesn’t care as much about the coronavirus pandemic,” she said.

Mitchell is one of more than 1,200 public health professionals who signed a petition supporting protests against racism. The petition also included suggestions for how to minimize the spread of COVID-19.

Even the World Health Organization has come out in support of a global movement against racism. For many public health experts, like Mitchell, these dual efforts are one and the same.

“Nobody’s ignoring the fact that we have this virus that’s plaguing our communities. But this is a pandemic, it starts and kind of has an end,” Mitchell said. “Whereas racism has been here for generations upon generations upon generations, and we’re still fighting for this end.”

What South Africa can teach the US about racial justice and reconciliation

What South Africa can teach the US about racial justice and reconciliation

"If you want to change, it has to start with an acknowledgment," says Stan Henkeman, executive director of the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation in Cape Town.

The World

June 11, 2020 · 6:00 PM EDT

By
The World staff

Producer
Ariel Oseran

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A member of South Africa’s opposition party, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), leads chants during a protest against the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police and Collins Khoza, who died after a confrontation with South African security forces enforcing the nationwide coronavirus disease lockdown, outside the US Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa, June 8, 2020. 

Credit:

Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters

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Protests against police brutality and racism are erupting all over the globe. That includes in some African nations, where thousands have been calling for justice for George Floyd.

In South Africa, it’s a reminder of its own complicated history of police violence. Twenty years ago, the end of apartheid was marked by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. It was set up by the South African government after decades of institutionalized racism under apartheid. The commission gave thousands of people a chance to testify to the racism they experienced or perpetrated. 

At the funeral Tuesday for George Floyd, the black man who was killed by a white police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Democratic Rep. Al Green of Texas called for reconciliation for black people in the US. 

South Africa’s commission was headed by Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

“We are a wounded people, because of the conflict of the past,” Tutu said at the commission’s first meeting. “No matter which side we stood, we all stand in need of healing. We on the commission are no super-human exceptions.”

Stan Henkeman is the executive director of the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation in Cape Town, South Africa. He spoke to The World’s host Marco Werman about what the US might learn from South Africa as it reckons with centuries’ worth of racial discrimination and inequality.

Related: South Africa’s imperfect progress, 20 years after the Truth & Reconciliation Commission

Marco Werman: Coming out of apartheid in the early 1990s, there were so many raw emotions after years of oppression. There was the specter of South Africa falling apart, even a race war. How did South Africa even get people to agree that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission was the right way to go? How do you get people — black, white, different social classes — to buy into this?

Stan Henkeman: I think the first thing to say is that there was the [Nelson] Mandela factor. And Mandela proved to be the one person that every South African, irrespective of their background, was able to identify with. The second thing is to understand that the majority of South Africans are not white. And so you can imagine the idea of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission was very appealing to them because there was so much suffering. And people just saw this as an opportunity to expose what had been happening, but also to close a chapter, a painful chapter of honesty. 

Having said that, the buy-in from the white community was not as enthusiastic. In fact, there were a number of white people who saw this as a witch hunt. 

So how did you approach that imbalance? And did you eventually get more buy-in from the white population of South Africa?

You know, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission is an outflow of an act of parliament to promote national reconciliation. White people, generally, even though their political parties agreed to it, were still skeptical. But as the commission progressed, the fact that it was transparent, it was on TV screens on a daily basis — I think that kind of helped make people understand that this is a genuine attempt to try and understand what happened.

Related: Concerns of structural racism are ‘deeply existential,’ UN special rapporteur says

And what were the stated objectives of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission once it started? 

The process was quite organized. There were three aspects to the commission. The one committee was the committee that investigated gross human rights violations. And the emphasis was on gross human rights violations because you can imagine every disadvantage South African had their human rights violated. Then there was a second committee that looked at the issue of amnesty, and that was always going to be a thorny one. And then the third committee had to look at reparations.

My sense is that the whole process was very highly charged and was very emotional for a lot of people, almost like a confessional of sins and victimization. Was there a prosecutorial aspect to any of this?

The only committee that kind of acted like a court was the amnesty committee. And what was really interesting was the fact that people who applied for amnesty did not have to do a public apology. I imagine that angered a number of people, but the idea was a way to get people to come and tell their side of the story. More than 7,000 people applied for amnesty, but only 1,700 received amnesty. Now, this is where a question comes in about prosecutions. And this is one area where I think that many South Africans would say we have failed because the prosecuting agencies did not follow through on the thousands of people who did not qualify for amnesty.

Related: 20 years on, South Africa’s remarkable constitution remains unfulfilled

The world looks at South Africa today, and apartheid, they see, is over. But now there is a profound class difference in South Africa that isn’t all about race. When you look at that reality, do you think it’s a failure of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission?

It is a bit unfair to blame the TRC for the problems of our country. I think the first thing we need to say about the TRC is that it was not going to be the silver bullet that’s going to solve the problem and that’s going to reconcile the country. It was the beginning of a process. And if you listen to people like Archbishop Desmond Tutu and others, that’s exactly how they understood it. Sadly, the rest of the country didn’t necessarily understand it in the same way.

If we look at the young people today, especially black, young people who are still experiencing the struggles of poverty, unemployment, and exclusion that their parents went through, they are extremely critical of the TRC. In fact, they call the TRC a whitewash of white atrocities.

I’m curious to know, Mr. Henkeman, as you look at what’s going on here in the US, what would you say America has to reckon here and what can Americans learn from South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission?

You know, if you want to change, it has to start with an acknowledgment. And I think that that’s probably where America has to start. Acknowledge the pain, how that pain gets transmitted generationally. And what happened to somebody in the 60s or even earlier affects young people today. And once that acknowledgment happens, then there should be a conversation. I’m not sure whether the US is ready for that conversation, because in South Africa, we have a black majority government. So there is a level of openness.

Now, whether they listen to us is another story, but at least there’s a willingness to have the conversation. I’m not sure how successful that will be in the States, because you can bring all the changes that you want, but if there’s no shift in attitude, in [the] worldview that we hold about other people, in people’s place in society — if that doesn’t shift, you know, you can make all these cosmetic changes, you will just have a perpetuation of the status quo.

This interview has been condensed and edited.

Trump administration proposes more hurdles for asylum-seekers; Amazon halts police use of facial recognition technology

Trump administration proposes more hurdles for asylum-seekers; Amazon halts police use of facial recognition technology

The World

June 11, 2020 · 10:00 AM EDT

By
The World staff

Migrants are seen outside of tents at a migrant encampment where more than 2,000 people live while seeking asylum in the US, in Matamoros, Mexico, April 9, 2020.

Credit:

Daniel Becerril/Reuters

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Top of The World — our morning news round up written by editors at The World. Subscribe here.

The Trump administration is proposing an overhaul of the asylum system that would make it much harder for applicants to win protection in the US. If enacted after public comment, the changes would streamline the asylum process by enabling lower-level asylum officers to throw out applications they deem “frivolous” — preventing applicants from having their claims heard in full court proceedings. Read the 161-page proposal here.

The narrowed grounds for asylum claims proposed by the departments of Justice and Homeland Security would no longer recognize applications based on people fleeing gangs, terrorists, “rogue” government officials or “non-state organizations.”

For now, asylum claims are essentially halted with US borders closed under provisions of the public health emergency Donald Trump declared in March amid the coronavirus pandemic. The proposed changes come on top of another set of rules the administration established last July — requiring migrants fleeing their homelands to apply for asylum in one of the first countries they pass through. 

What The World is following

Amazon said Wednesday it plans to halt sales of its facial recognition software to police for a year. The technology has been widely criticized as being used by law enforcement to unfairly profile people of color. Teleconferencing company Zoom has been called out for suspending an account belonging to a group of US-based Chinese activists who held an event on the platform to commemorate the 31st anniversary of China’s Tiananmen Square crackdown. Also, Apple removed the podcasting app Pocket Casts from its Chinese App Store at the request of the government.

On Wednesday, Brazil’s most populous state, São Paulo, reported a record number of COVID-19 deaths for the second day running. The infections and high death tolls come as the government started allowing many businesses to reopen. The virus has disproportionately struck Brazil’s poor, largely neglected favelas. But activists in the favelas are organizing their own fight.

From The WorldLatino groups fight voter suppression efforts as US election nears

A voter casts a ballot at the Flushing Volunteer Fire Department in Flushing, Ohio, on Super Tuesday, March 6, 2012. 

Credit:

Matt Sullivan/Reuters

Approximately 32 million Latinos are expected to be eligible to vote in the general election this November, making them the nation’s largest minority voter group, according to the Pew Research Center. But there are numerous efforts to suppress Latinos and black voters underway across the country — particularly as white Americans make up a declining share of the US electorate. And with the COVID-19 pandemic affecting this election cycle, advocacy groups worry it could get worse.

Toronto’s first black police chief resigns

Mark Saunders, then the deputy police chief, speaks at a news conference in Toronto, Canada, Feb. 24, 2015.  

Credit:

Aaron Harris/Reuters 

With just eight months to go in his term as chief of the Toronto Police Service, Mark Saunders seems to have surprised everyone by abruptly resigning — without fully explaining why. Activists say the Toronto police chief helped maintain the status quo. But after George Floyd’s death, Saunders declared that incremental change was no longer enough. He knelt with protesters in the street. And by stepping away from his position, some say he has left an opening for possible change.

And: From Minneapolis to Madrid, racial profiling and police harassment cost lives

Morning focus

Marmite, the company that makes a — love it or hate it — spread from yeast extract, announced that because of the shortage of brewer’s yeast due to the coronavirus, it’s now only producing the 250-gram jar. A serious situation for Marmite lovers.

Hi Tim, due to brewers yeast being in short supply (one of the main ingredients in Marmite) Supplies of Marmite have been affected.

As a temporary measure we have stopped production of all sizes apart from our 250g size jar which is available in most major retailers.

— Marmite (@marmite) June 10, 2020In case you missed itListen: Global movements to end systemic racial discrimination

A man raises his fist over a crowd of demonstrators during a protest against racial inequality in the aftermath of the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, at Puerta del Sol square in Madrid, Spain, June 7, 2020.

Credit:

Juan Medina/Reuters

Wednesday on The World, we’ll check in on global movements to end systemic racial discrimination. First to Toronto, Canada, where the city’s first black police chief resigned abruptly — months before he was supposed to and without explanation. And, thousands of demonstrators gathered in front of the US Embassy in Madrid over the weekend to commemorate the life of George Floyd. But, they were also protesting the racial inequalities in Spain. Also, as lockdowns were lifted in China, worry spread about imported cases from abroad. Black people were targeted, leading some African Americans in Guangzhou to question whether they could stay.

Don’t forget to subscribe to The World’s Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Soundcloud, RSS.

The power of protest: Part II

The power of protest: Part II

Critical State looks at the power and impact of protests over time. As today’s protesters lay out their demands for public safety systems that severely curb police capabilities for violence, economists Jamein Cunningham and Rib Gillezeau offer insight into the stakes of their struggle.

Inkstick Media

June 09, 2020 · 3:00 PM EDT

By
Sam Ratner

Protesters rally against the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, at the Barclays Center in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, May 31, 2020. 

Credit:

Jeenah Moon/Reuters

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This analysis was featured in Critical State, a weekly newsletter from The World and Inkstick Media. Subscribe here.

Last week, Critical State’s Deep Dive looked at some of the electoral effects of mass protest.

Related: The power of protest: Part I

This week, Deep Dive digs into the research on one of the apparent mysteries of the past couple weeks: Do American police forces respond to protests against police killings by increasing their violence against civilians? Or does it just seem that way because of the unending stream of videos and reports of police violence against protesters?

A paper from last year by economists Jamein Cunningham and Rob Gillezeau in the Journal of Quantitative Criminology offers a jarring answer to that question. Cunningham and Gillezeau looked back at earlier waves of protest against police violence in the 1960s and 70s, testing the effects of those actions on police killings in the years that followed.

Related: World responds to protests sparked by George Floyd’s death

They started by collecting a dataset of all the protests and riots (what Cunningham and Gillezeau call “racial uprisings”) by black Americans that took place in the US between 1964 and 1971, mapped down to the county level.

Related: Police killing of George Floyd strikes a chord in Kenya

Their data includes over 700 uprisings in that seven-year period, which gives a sense of the level of upheaval in the US during that time. With a list of counties that experienced uprisings and the year the first uprising in each county took place, Cunningham and Gillezeau could begin researching how those uprisings — often a direct result of police violence against civilians — affected subsequent police killings.

In the first three years after a county experiences a racial uprising, police killings of both white and non-white civilians jump.

The effect, it turns out, was to increase those killings. In the first three years after a county experiences a racial uprising, police killings of both white and non-white civilians jump, and by similar amounts.

Related: In France, the killing of George Floyd invokes the memory of Adama Traoré 

The average county that had an uprising saw police kill between 2.2 and 2.4 more white people in the three years following the first uprising than in the average county that had no uprising, and the increase in killings of non-white people was between 1.4 and 3.1 in the same time frame.

That might be surprising, given that the uprisings themselves were largely the result not of generalized police violence, but of specifically anti-black police violence. If police are not just violent but racist in their violence, why would killings of white people spike alongside killings of non-white people?

Related: ‘No justice, no peace’: Thousands in London protest the death of Floyd

Well, the data doesn’t stop three years from the first uprising. When Cunningham and Gillezeau looked at a wider timescale — the 15 years from the first uprising in a county — they found that the effect of killings of white people subsided over time.

In 15 years, an uprising predicted that police would kill an additional 3.8 to 6.6 white people beyond what would happen in an average county with no uprising, and the biggest effect was in the first three years. For non-white people, though, the effect of the uprising never really went away. In the 15 years following the first uprising, police in a post-uprising county killed an average of between 9 and 15.1 more non-white people than their brothers in blue from non-uprising counties.

Expressing displeasure with police violence without limiting police ability to mete out further violence is likely to lead to more civilian death.

Cunningham and Gillezeau make no claims about the mechanism that causes police killings to rise after uprisings, but it is clear from their data that expressing displeasure with police violence without limiting police ability to mete out further violence is likely to lead to more civilian death.

As today’s protesters lay out their demands for public safety systems that severely curb police capabilities for violence, Cunningham and Gillezeau offer insight into the stakes of their struggle.

Critical State is your weekly fix of foreign policy without all the stuff you don’t need. It’s top news and accessible analysis for those who want an inside take without all the insider bs. Subscribe here.

North Korea stops answering daily calls with South; Past epidemics underscore importance of mental health

North Korea stops answering daily calls with South; Past epidemics underscore importance of mental health

The World

June 09, 2020 · 10:00 AM EDT

By
The World staff

Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un attends a wreath-laying ceremony in Hanoi, Vietnam, March 2019.

Credit:

Jorge Silva/Reuters/Pool/File Photo

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Top of The World — our morning news round up written by editors at The World. Subscribe here.

North Korean officials did not answer a routine daily call to the liaison office with South Korea or calls on military hotlines this morning. The move is seen as a first step toward shutting down contact with Seoul. Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, threatened last week to close the office unless South Korean groups were stopped from sending pro-democracy leaflets into the North. In an effort to salvage ties, South Korean officials pledged to legislate a ban on the leaflets.

The daily calls between North and South Korea were established in 2018 to reduce tensions after peace talks. The two countries remain technically at war because the 1950-1953 Korean War ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty.

What The World is following

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said he and US President Donald Trump agreed on “some issues” on the conflict in Libya during a phone call yesterday. Turkey and the US support the UN-backed government of Fayez al Sarraj. In recent weeks, Sarraj’s troops have pushed back an assault on the capital of Tripoli by renegade commander Khalifa Haftar, who is backed by Russia and US allies, France, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

Today, mourners in Houston, Texas, bury George Floyd, a black man killed in police custody whose death has sparked global protests over systemic racism and police violence. In London, Mayor Sadiq Khan has called for a review of all statues in the city for ties to slavery.

Also a new study of satellite images shows a surge in traffic to hospitals in Wuhan, China, in August, coinciding with a spike in online searches for “cough” and “diarrhea” — suggesting the coronavirus may have been spreading in the city far earlier than reported.

America’s BLM protests find solidarity in South Korea

Protesters in Seoul, South Korea, rallied in support of the Black Lives Matter Movement on June 6, 2020. 

Credit:

Jason Strother/The World 

Calls for racial justice in the US are compelling some South Koreans to point out xenophobia in their own country and reexamine decades-old tensions between black and Korean communities. Over the weekend, around 100 demonstrators walked through downtown Seoul in protest of the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer in what was perhaps the first public showing of solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement in the nation.

Past epidemics underscore importance of mental health amid COVID-19

Women wearing masks to prevent contracting Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) ride a subway train in Seoul, South Korea, on June 12, 2015.

Credit:

Reuters/Kim Hong-Ji 

Calls for racial justice in the US are compelling some South Koreans to point out xenophobia in their own country and reexamine decades-old tensions between black and Korean communities. Over the weekend, around 100 demonstrators walked through downtown Seoul in protest of the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer in what was perhaps the first public showing of solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement in the nation.

Discussion: Reporting on the 2020 Latino vote amid the pandemic

Young Latinos could swing the outcome of the election — if they cast their ballots. That’s because approximately every 30 seconds, a young Latino turns 18 and becomes eligible to vote. For the past four months, The World’s “Every 30 Seconds” project has been following the stories of eight young Latino voters in different corners of the US.

Join The World’s Daisy Contreras for a conversation with three of the eight Every 30 Seconds journalists — Naomi Prioleau of WUNC in Chapel Hill, Max Rivlin-Nadler of KPBS in San Diego and Martha Dalton of WABE in Atlanta — focusing on their experiences reaching out to young Latinos for a yearlong reporting project and the lessons they’ve learned on reporting during the pandemic.

You can watch the Facebook Live Q&A on The World’s Facebook page Wednesday, June 10 at 12pm ET. Ask your questions during the live event or email us at [email protected].

Morning Meme

Someone found it! Thousands have searched but after more than a decade, someone actually found Forest Fenn’s buried treasure — worth more than an estimated $1 million — somewhere in the Rocky Mountains.

NEW: A bronze chest filled with gold, jewels, and other valuables worth more than $1 million and hidden a decade ago somewhere in the Rocky Mountain wilderness has finally been found. https://t.co/AzvKoMwjbd

— The Denver Post (@denverpost) June 7, 2020In case you missed itListen: Global protests against racial discrimination continue to spread

A man observes the base of the statue of Edward Colston, a slave trader in the 17th century, after protesters pulled it down and pushed into the docks, following the death of George Floyd, Bristol, Britain, June 8, 2020.

Credit:

Matthew Childs/Reuters

Protests against racial discrimination and social injustice continue across the globe. At a rally last weekend in Bristol, England, activists pulled down the statue of a 17th-century slave trader and dumped it in the harbor. And, the notion of putting the US military into the streets to quell unrest is a bridge too far for many people, including many military leaders. Also, As East African countries such as Uganda begin easing lockdowns, borders remain a big concern. Truck drivers crossing borders between Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania have contributed to the spread of COVID-19.

Don’t forget to subscribe to The World’s Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Soundcloud, RSS.

George Floyd to be buried Tuesday as global anti-racism protests spread

George Floyd to be buried Tuesday as global anti-racism protests spread

Reuters

June 09, 2020 · 9:00 AM EDT

A portrait of George Floyd is seen during a protest against racial inequality in the aftermath of his death in Minneapolis police custody, in New York City, New York, June 8, 2020.

Credit:

Shannon Stapleton/Reuters

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Thousands of mourners paid their respects to George Floyd will be buried in Houston on Tuesday two weeks after his death while being held by police in Minneapolis, Minnesota, as more anti-racism rallies inspired by his treatment were set to take place around the world.

The mourners filed past Floyd’s open coffin at the Fountain of Praise Church in Houston, Texas, where he grew up.

Some mourners bowed their heads, others made the sign of the cross or raised a fist. Many wore face masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus in a service that lasted more than six hours. The funeral will be a private ceremony and he will buried next to his mother’s grave.

“I’m glad he got the send-off he deserved,” Marcus Williams, a 46-year-old black resident of Houston, said outside. “I want the police killings to stop. I want them to reform the process to achieve justice, and stop the killing.”

Floyd, a 46-year-old African American, died on May 25 after a white police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.

Unarmed and handcuffed, he lay face down in the street, gasping for air and groaning for help before falling silent, footage filmed by a bystander showed.

His death unleashed a surge of protests across the US cities and around the world against racism and the systematic mistreatment of black people.

The case also thrust President Donald Trump into a political crisis. He has repeatedly threatened to order the military on to the streets to restore order and has struggled to unite the nation.

The demonstrations have reinvigorated the Black Lives Matter movement and raised demands for racial justice and police reforms to the top of the political agenda ahead of the Nov. 3 presidential election.

“I’m here to protest the mistreatment of our black bodies. It’s not going to stop unless we keep protesting,” said Erica Corley, 34, one of hundreds attending a gathering in the Washington suburb of Silver Spring, Maryland.

Around the world

Floyd’s death triggered protests across the globe, particularly in countries with a history of colonialism and involvement in the slave trade.

In Britain, thousands of people of all races rallied in several cities over the weekend. In the port city of Bristol, the statue of Edward Colston, who made a fortune in the 17th century from trading African slaves, was pulled down and dumped in the harbor.

A protest is scheduled for Tuesday night at Oxford University to demand the removal of a statue of Cecil Rhodes, a 19th century businessman in southern Africa long accused of imperialist exploitation.

Mayor Sadiq Khan ordered a review of London statues and street names which largely reflect Britain’s empire in the reign of Queen Victoria.

“It is an uncomfortable truth that our nation and city owes a large part of its wealth to its role in the slave trade and while this is reflected in our public realm, the contribution of many of our communities to life in our capital has been wilfully ignored,” Khan said.

The British parliament held a minute’s silence at 11 a.m. to mark Floyd’s death.

In France, the family of a black Frenchman who died in police custody called for a nationwide protest on Saturday and spurned a government offer of talks.

Adama Traoré died in July 2016 after three police officers used their weight to restrain him. His family and supporters have demanded that the officers involved be held to account. No one has been charged.

Thousands of people marched in Paris last Saturday to mark Traoré’s death and in solidarity with the US protesters.

Murder charge

Derek Chauvin, 44, the policeman who knelt on Floyd’s neck and is charged with second-degree murder, made his first court appearance in Minneapolis by video link on Monday. A judge ordered his bail raised from $1 million to $1.25 million.

Chauvin’s co-defendants, three fellow officers, are accused of aiding and abetting Floyd’s murder. All four were dismissed from the police department the day after Floyd’s death.

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden met with Floyd’s relatives for more than an hour in Houston on Monday.

“He listened, heard their pain and shared in their woe,” family lawyer Benjamin Crump said. “That compassion meant the world to this grieving family.”

In Washington, Democrats in Congress announced legislation to make lynching a federal hate crime and to allow victims of police misconduct and their families to sue law enforcement for damages in civil court, ending a legal doctrine known as qualified immunity.

Trump resisted calls to defund police departments, saying 99% of police were “great, great people.”

In Richmond, Virginia, a judge issued a 10-day injunction blocking plans by the state governor to remove a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee.

By Erwin Seba/Reuters

America’s BLM protests find solidarity in South Korea

America’s BLM protests find solidarity in South Korea

On Saturday, around 100 demonstrators walked through downtown Seoul in protest of the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer in what was perhaps the first showing of solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement in the nation.

The World

June 08, 2020 · 1:30 PM EDT

By
Jason Strother

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Protesters in Seoul, South Korea, rallied in support of the Black Lives Matter Movement on June 6, 2020. 

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Calls for racial justice in the US are compelling some South Koreans to point out xenophobia in their own country and reexamine decades-old tensions between black and Korean communities.

On Saturday, around 100 demonstrators walked through downtown Seoul in protest of the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer in what was perhaps the first public showing of solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement in the nation.

Marchers held signs in Korean and English with slogans denouncing racial discrimination while some of the event’s expat participants chanted, “No justice, no peace.”

Related: US may be violating international law in its response to protesters, UN expert says

Even though South Korea is largely ethnically homogenous, it has a growing and diverse immigrant community. And as that population increases, some worry that widely held suspicion toward foreigners could incite the kinds of abuse seen in other, more multicultural parts of the world.

“Racism happens here in Korea. Whether they are from China, black or other immigrant workers, they are mocked and looked down on.”

Shim Ji-hoon, protest organizer

“Racism happens here in Korea,” said Shim Ji-hoon, who organized the weekend protest. “Whether they are from China, black or other immigrant workers, they are mocked and looked down on.”

Speaking to the crowd over loudspeakers, Shim says he worries that if these concerns aren’t addressed soon, “what happened to George Floyd could happen here, too.”

Demonstrations across America, as well as in cities such as London, Paris and Sydney, have highlighted the injustice felt by many black or other minority communities in those countries. But for many South Koreans, the protests and reports of coinciding violence and vandalism echo previous unrest that put the African American community at odds with the Korean diaspora in the US.

Resentment held by some Koreans toward black Americans can be traced back to the 1992 Los Angeles riots, which erupted following the police beating of Rodney King and the subsequent acquittal of the officers involved in the incident, some observers say.

Michael Hurt, who lectures on cultural theory at the Korea National University of Arts, says during that time, many South Koreans watched lopsided television news reports about the damage inflicted on Korean American business owners in LA without much discussion of the underlying causes of the riots.

“Back then, Korean media tended to be much more ethno-nationalist. The news tended to heavily lean on how does this affect Koreans who own businesses that were destroyed.”

Michael Hurt, Korea National University of  Arts

“Back then, Korean media tended to be much more ethno-nationalist,” he said. “The news tended to heavily lean on how does this affect Koreans who own businesses that were destroyed.”

Hurt explains Korean reporters omitted the views of African Americans in their coverage.

“You might want to interview a black person, but that didn’t happen in ’92,” he said.

A demonstration in Seoul called out racial injustice in the US and xenophobia in South Korea, June 6, 2020. 

Credit:

Jason Strother/The World 

South Korean media still report on how the present-day demonstrations impact Korean-owned businesses in the US.

But Hurt says, unlike coverage from nearly 30 years ago, journalists now are offering more context in their dispatches from US cities and doing an overall better job explaining the history of American racism for Korean audiences.

Related: Protesters worldwide face controversial police tactics

And because South Koreans now consume more media from around the world, Hurt says they’ve been made more aware of black culture and social justice issues.

“There’s a broader exposure and a more sympathetic view these days,” he said.

Despite these advancements, some watchdog agencies say more improvements are needed to reduce prejudice toward all minorities in South Korea.

A survey released earlier this year by the National Human Rights Commission of Korea found that seven out of 10 foreign residents say they have experienced some form of discrimination. And in a 2018 report, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination expressed concerns over the safety of asylum-seekers, marriage migrants and immigrant laborers living in South Korea.

Foreign athletes have also reportedly been victims of racist hate mail and death threats, including two US-born black basketball players.

Foreign nationals account for nearly 5% percent of South Korea’s total population of approximately 52 million, according to government data.

In light of the ongoing racial justice protests, some South Koreans are reflecting on what they can do to make a difference.

Related: Former CIA analyst sees parallels between Trump protest response and social unrest abroad

Lee Sa-rang, who works for an education consultancy that helps college students enter US schools, says it’s time for Koreans “to take a stand.”

“I think Korea, because it’s so homogeneous, it’s easy to stick out if you’re different. Just calling out the elders in my family who make racist remarks” is one small way to fight racism.

Lee Sa-rang, who works for an education consultancy

“I think Korea, because it’s so homogeneous, it’s easy to stick out if you’re different,” the 32-year-old said, adding, “Just calling out the elders in my family who make racist remarks” is one small way she has found that she can fight racism.

Ko Na-eun, a 17-year-old high school student, says she and a friend plan to open a booth in Seoul to provide information about George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement.

“If they [Koreans] are more aware of what’s happening in the US, I feel like it would help them reflect on what they’ve done in the past when they saw foreigners in Korea,” she said.

Ko, who returned to Korea this year after her Connecticut boarding school was closed due to the coronavirus, says some Koreans have prejudices too, and some don’t understand why they should care about the racism experienced by African Americans.

Related: Police killing of George Floyd strikes a chord in Kenya

But protesters in the US have found an unexpected ally in South Korea: K-pop superstars.

Bands like BTS have joined the Black Lives Matter movement, expressing messages of support on social media.

우리는 인종차별에 반대합니다.
우리는 폭력에 반대합니다.
나, 당신, 우리 모두는 존중받을 권리가 있습니다. 함께 하겠습니다.

We stand against racial discrimination.
We condemn violence.
You, I and we all have the right to be respected. We will stand together.#BlackLivesMatter

— 방탄소년단 (@BTS_twt) June 4, 2020

BTS has also donated $1 million to help BLM demonstrators and called on fans to match the group’s contribution.

There’s a cultural connection here, says Bernie Cho, who heads the DFSB Kollective, a music promotions agency in Seoul.

“With a lot of Korean music artists, there’s a deeper respect of the importance and impact that black culture has had on not only their personal but professional lives.” 

Bernie Cho, DFSB Kollective

“With a lot of Korean music artists, there’s a deeper respect of the importance and impact that black culture has had on not only their personal but professional lives,” Cho said.

K-pop fans from across the globe have also hijacked racist hashtags on Twitter by overwhelming these threads with videos of their favorite performers. 

Rianne, a 25-year-old protester who only wanted her first name used, joined Saturday’s demonstration in Seoul. She says that as a black woman from California, she has experienced similar forms of racism in Korea as she has in the US, such as people uninvitingly touching her hair.

But she says she gives Koreans a little more leeway for these kinds of acts than she would for people back home because of the two countries’ very different histories.

She says she was very happy to see so many people expressing concern for African Americans at the rally.

“I am so glad that people came together for this cause,” she said. “It’s not just an American issue; it’s global, and we need to fight together.” 

Symbols of ‘racist past’ topple amid global BLM protests; New Zealand reports no active COVID-19 cases

Symbols of 'racist past' topple amid global BLM protests; New Zealand reports no active COVID-19 cases

The World

June 08, 2020 · 10:00 AM EDT

By
The World staff

The area where the statue of Edward Colston stood is seen, after protesters pulled it down and pushed into the docks, following the death of George Floyd, Bristol, Britain, June 8, 2020

Credit:

Matthew Childs/Reuters

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Top of The World — our morning news round up written by editors at The World. Subscribe here.

Confederate statues in the US have been toppled or defaced as protesters across the country demand a nationwide reckoning on systemic racism. The Black Lives Matter demonstrations and civil unrest around the world following George Floyd’s killing by police officers in Minneapolis has pushed officials to hasten the removal of Confederate and other controversial “artworks that gild the system” and remain “vestiges of a racist past.”

The outrage has brought about a similar reckoning in other countries, as well. In Bristol, England, a statue of Edward Colston, a British slave trader, was toppled and pushed into the docks on Sunday. Some 30,000 people in Belgium have signed petitions to remove statues of King Leopold II, the country’s colonial-era ruler who decimated Congo, enslaving and killing millions of people in the late 1800s.

The moment harkens back to historic images in recent memory, such as dismantling monuments to Joseph Stalin, Saddam Hussein and others. From 2017, The New York Times looks at a visual history of iconoclasm.  

What The World is following

A majority of Minneapolis City Council members said they will “begin the process of ending the Minneapolis Police Department.” Mayor Jacob Frey said he supports reform over dismantling. Abolishing the police has been one of several demands from some protesters, but a debate over the future of policing in the US may turn to examples from elsewhere. One potential example is the Independent Commission on Policing for Northern Ireland. Born out of the Good Friday Peace Agreement and extensive community outreach, the commission has some success changing the composition and culture of the police force, though many argue more needs to be done.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she did “a little dance” upon learning there were no active cases of COVID-19 in the country. New Zealand has moved to the lowest of a four-tier alert system ahead of schedule, allowing businesses to reopen and no longer requiring social distancing. However, borders will remain closed to foreigners. 

That success is not matched in Brazil, where the capital of Brasilia has become the newest hotspot for the virus. 

From The World & Living on EarthUS may be violating international law in its response to protesters, UN expert says

A Seattle police officer wears a “mourning band” for fallen officers over his badge, obscuring the badge number, as Seattle police guard the department headquarters downtown during a rally and march calling for a defunding of Seattle police, in Seattle, Washington, on June 3, 2020.

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Reuters/Lindsey Wasson/File Photo

International human rights advocates observing how the US is handling the protests have said the US may be violating international law. The World spoke to UN Special Rapporteur Agnes Callamard on the use of force by US police: “At least on the basis of the videos that I have watched and the reporting that I have read, there appears to be repeated violations of international law — in particular of two principles that should guide the use of force by police in terms of handling protest: necessity and proportionality.”

Also: Former CIA analyst sees parallels between Trump protest response and social unrest abroad

Big cat ownership in the US is a big problem

The US Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that more tigers live in America than remain in the wild. Most live in small cages like the one pictured here.

Credit:

Rachel Nuwer

“Tiger King,” the Netflix documentary series about the infamous tiger breeder Joe Exotic, has taken America by storm. But while the show may be entertaining to some, its subject is highly problematic: Private big cat ownership in the US is dangerous and the animals suffer greatly for the success or pleasure of their owners.

Global Hit

Singing in Swahili, Luhya, Dholuo and English, award-winning group Sauti Sol from Kenya recently dropped their newest album. The group “pride[s] themselves on storytelling as an East African tradition that permeates music from that region.“

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Screengrab from YouTube

In case you missed itListen: Protesters worldwide face controversial police tactics

Protesters raise their fists during a demonstration in memory of Adama Traoré, a 24-year-old black Frenchman who died in a 2016 police operation which some have likened to the death of George Floyd in the United States, on the Place de la Republique in Lille, France, June 4, 2020.

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Pascal Rossignol/Reuters

The tactics used by police forces to control protesters around the world over the death of George Floyd have included the use of rubber bullets and tear gas. Use of those instruments may violate international law, experts say. And, one of the world’s most prestigious medical journals, The Lancet, has retracted a scientific article about the effects of hydroxychloroquine in treating COVID-19. Plus, following months of a liberal approach to social distancing, the Swedish government announced last month that summer camps are allowed to open this season under certain guidelines.

Don’t forget to subscribe to The World’s Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Soundcloud, RSS.

US may be violating international law in its response to protesters, UN expert says

US may be violating international law in its response to protesters, UN expert says

International human rights advocates observing how the US is handling the protests have said the US may be violating international law. The World spoke to UN Special Rapporteur Agnes Callamard on the use of force by US police.

The World

June 05, 2020 · 3:00 PM EDT

By
The World staff

Producer
Stephen Snyder

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A Seattle police officer wears a “mourning band” for fallen officers over his badge, obscuring the badge number, as Seattle police guard the department headquarters downtown during a rally and march calling for a defunding of Seattle police, in Seattle, Washington, on June 3, 2020.

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Reuters/Lindsey Wasson/File Photo

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In cities across the United States this past week, protesters have been confronted by police carrying shields and batons and hulking armored vehicles that might look to some people like a scene straight out of a war zone.

Widespread protests against racial inequalities and excessive use of force by police following the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis with a white policeman’s knee on his neck have revived a debate about equipment and tactics used by police around the United States that critics say should be confined to a battlefield. Meanwhile, international human rights advocates observing how the US is handling the protests have said the US may be violating international law in its sometimes violent response. 

Agnes Callamard is the United Nations special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions as well as the director of Global Freedom of Expression at Columbia University. She led the definitive investigation into the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. Callamard joined The World’s host Marco Werman from outside Avignon, France. 

Related: Former CIA analyst sees parallels between Trump protest response and social unrest abroad

Marco Werman: Madame Callamard, civil rights groups are now suing the Trump administration for violating the constitutional rights of demonstrators. You’ve been watching events on the streets of the US this week from France. Are you seeing violations of international law? 

Oh, yes, I have. At least on the basis of the videos that I have watched and the reporting that I have read, there appears to be repeated violations of international law — in particular of two principles that should guide the use of force by police in terms of handling protest: necessity and proportionality. I have seen misuse of so-called “less-lethal weapons” from rubber bullets to batons to tear gas. I have seen the use of “less-lethal techniques,” which have become very harmful, if not lethal, in at least the case of Mr. Floyd. So yes, unfortunately, at the moment, based on what we can watch on our screen and what we can read in our newspaper, there is a pattern of violations committed by police force in handling the protest. 

Related: Tear gas has been banned in warfare. Why do police still use it?

So you’ve noticed the tear gas and the rubber bullets. How do police assaults on reporters in Minneapolis and Washington, DC, not to mention attacks on demonstrators — how do those compare with what we see in other countries? 

Look, the one thing I should say is that unfortunately, the US does not stand out when it comes to those forms of violations. The scale of those violations is unusual, but the nature of the violation is not. So throughout 2019, I have received countless allegations of similar misuse of tear gas or rubber bullets in other contexts, including in Europe, in Chile, in the Middle East. So from that standpoint, unfortunately, there is a global phenomenon of police misusing so-called less-lethal weapons in ways that are either making them lethal or making their use so indiscriminatory that it amounts to a violation. 

So what or who are the authorities internationally and what are they thinking about how to respond to what’s happening in the US? 

First of all, in the US and globally, I will say there is an increasing awareness within the international community, the human rights community, and also the police community, that the so-called less-lethal weapons are no panacea. There is a reasonable factor as to why we need them, because they give police a range of options in terms of handling difficult situations. And that is something that is welcomed. 

We certainly do not want the police to have only recourse to a firearm when confronted with a difficult situation. So the range of options that those less-lethal weapons constitute is welcome. But in order to meet their purposes, which is to police in an effective and safe fashion, they have to be used to properly. And what we are seeing is the repeated misuse, the absence of proper guidelines and regulations, legal frameworks which are enshrining excessive use of force and impunity. That is particularly the case in the US because of the qualified immunity doctrine which is applied to police officers. This is why I and others have called for an end of the doctrine. That will be of first essential step towards addressing the systemic impunity that is attached to excessive use of force. The second is proper regulations regarding those the less-lethal weapons. And the third is proper training attached to those less-lethal weapons.  

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Reuters contributed to this report. 

Never before have threats to US democracy been so grave, says political scientist

Never before have threats to US democracy been so grave, says political scientist

Innovation Hub

June 05, 2020 · 2:30 PM EDT

By
Elizabeth Ross

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US President Donald Trump holds up a Bible as he stands in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church across from the White House after walking there for a photo opportunity during ongoing protests over racial inequality in the wake of the death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody, at the White House in Washington, DC, June 1, 2020.

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Tensions over race may seem at an all-time high, following the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man who perished while in police custody in Minneapolis. But what makes this moment of national unrest especially significant, in a country with a long history of racial division, is that racism has become a threat to our democracy, according to scholars such as Suzanne Mettler, a professor of government at Cornell University.  

It has “been like this underground stream through all of American history. It’s always there, kind of waiting to be tapped, and sometimes it comes to the surface more than others,” explained Mettler. 

In this instance, racial conflict has been layered on top of an already deeply-polarized political system, “with one side insisting upon law and order … and the other side saying we need racial equality in the United States and police brutality is a huge problem and it’s against what the United States is supposed to stand for,” said Mettler. 

Related: Systems of oppression in health care long made ‘invisible,’ Harvard prof says

She believes the way US President Donald Trump has used racial divisions for political gain, is similar to a period in the 1890s when the Democratic Party — with the support of white supremacists — tried to dominate the political scene in the South. In the mixed-race community of Wilmington, North Carolina, the results were far from pretty. There was rampant voter fraud followed by a coup d’état and a massacre on November 10, 1898.

The true story of the massacre was not told in student history books, according to David Zucchino, the author of  “Wilmington’s Lie: The Murderous Coup of 1898 and the Rise of White Supremacy.” He went to high school and college in North Carolina but never heard about the tragic events in Wilmington until the hundredth anniversary of the coup.

The story is of great interest to Mettler, who has also written about it, because of the way in which democracy was curtailed in Wilmington — much as it had been in the 1790s and in the lead up to the Civil War, during the Great Depression, during Watergate and now, she explained.

Mettler, the co-author with Robert Lieberman of Four Threats: The Recurring Crises of American Democracy, has identified four issues that have historically undermined American democracy. For the first time in US history, all four factors: expansive presidential power, political polarization, rising economic inequality and racism or nativism, are at play at the same time, the authors claim.

Related: The slow burn of a long-term slowdown

While the threats are not new, they are convinced that their confluence under Trump has led to the weakening of the very necessary checks and balances built into our political system. The pillars of American democracy, including the rule of law, the legitimacy of opposition and free and fair elections, are under attack now like never before, Mettler explained. 

She is especially concerned about the forthcoming presidential election because of the added crisis of the coronavirus pandemic. “There’s just a lot more opportunity for politicians to then play with electoral rules and procedures in ways that could help them to gain advantage,” Mettler said.

The political scientist fears there could be hotly contested results in November and even violence. If Trump is re-elected, Mettler predicts damage to the integrity of civil rights and liberties and potentially the emergence of a so-called “competitive authoritarian regime” which only bears the “outer look of democracy.”

The fate of the country’s future has also been on the mind of presumptive Democratic nominee, Joe Biden who — in a recent speech in Philadelphia in which he criticized the president for his response to the protests against police brutality — condemned him for “sweeping away all the guardrails that have long protected our democracy.”

At the same time, Biden tried to offer hope by recalling how, during some of the darkest moments of despair in US history, the nation has made some of the greatest progress. Still, it may be a while before we can see what progress, if any, comes from this difficult moment.

Elizabeth Ross is the senior producer of Innovation Hub. Follow her on Twitter: @eross6

Former CIA analyst sees parallels between Trump protest response and social unrest abroad

Former CIA analyst sees parallels between Trump protest response and social unrest abroad

The World

June 05, 2020 · 11:30 AM EDT

By
The World staff

Producer
Ariel Oseran

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Police in riot gear keep protesters at bay in Lafayette Park near the White House in Washington, DC, May 31, 2020.

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Jonathan Ernst/Reuters

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Protests, curfews and aggressive police crackdowns have followed outrage over the police killing of George Floyd, a black man, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Protesters and journalists have been fired upon with munitions, and US President Donald Trump has called on the military to step in — a move that has been decried by some prominent figures, including former Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis. 

But what’s happening on US streets right now looks familiar to veterans of the US intelligence community who’ve monitored foreign government responses to social unrest.

Some are pointing out parallels between Trump’s attempts to quell protests, and the actions of authoritarian regimes that have done the same.

Related: Tear gas has been banned in warfare. Why do police still use it?

Gail Helt is a former CIA analyst who tracked developments in China and Southeast Asia and a professor of security and intelligence studies at King University in Tennessee. She spoke with The World’s Marco Werman about the similarities between what’s happening in the US and government repression in other parts of the world. 

Marco Werman: Gail, peaceful protests across the US, but as you see the massive police presence, the use of tear gas, mass arrests, what similarities are you spotting to repression in other parts of the world that you’ve seen in the past?

Gail Helt: I have to say — I think I would be remiss if I didn’t, this being the 31st anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre — and seeing those armored vehicles rolling down the streets of DC does kind of conjure those images, in my mind, of tanks running over peaceful protesters. And I know that might seem like an extreme comparison to some people. But in my opinion, that’s how unusual it is to see armored vehicles being used as crowd control on the streets of American cities.

Related: Why the US military is supposed to stay out of politics 

Are there differences that you would underscore?

I definitely don’t see, or at least I’m hopeful that we won’t see, any kind of repression along those lines here. America is a democracy. America is a republic. We are not supposed to use our military to corral peaceful protesters. And yes, there are some pockets of violence, and that’s horrible. We can handle this. I think that there’s been a ratcheting up of tensions. That concerns me a lot. But we in America have a tradition of peaceful protest. It is a constitutional right. And I think using the military to crack down on that sends a horrible, horrible message about where we’re headed as a country.

President Trump’s former attorney, Michael Cohen, said last year in congressional testimony, “Given my experience working for Mr. Trump, I fear that if he loses the election in 2020, that there will never be a peaceful transition of power.” He’s making the case that Trump losing would be the same as a strong man in a country with a weak democracy. It happens all over the world. Where have you seen this play out? And do you see this happening here in the US?

Well, I am concerned. Trump has been setting the stage, at least for American citizens to question the legitimacy of the upcoming presidential election, for months. When he talks about how mail-in ballots are tantamount to election fraud, we’re on dangerous ground here. If Trump loses in November, I do think he will leave. I don’t think he will leave without a lot of drama, without a lot of protests, without him organizing marches in the streets of Washington, DC.

Related: Police killing of George Floyd strikes a chord in Kenya

Gail, I’d like to get back to Trump’s reliance on law and order. Earlier this week, he called on governors to “dominate the streets” or else he would deploy the United States military and “quickly solve the problem for them.” The way to do this is through the Insurrection Act, which allows the use of active-duty military forces to deal with unrest in US streets. But Defense Secretary Mark Esper has said he’s opposed to invoking the act: “The option to use active-duty forces in a law enforcement role should only be used as a matter of last resort and only in the most urgent and dire of situations. We are not in one of those situations now.”What does it mean for any leader to turn the military against citizens? I mean, do you have an example of that? If Trump did it, can you argue that he’s becoming as authoritarian as Bashar al-Assad, for example?

I do think that that is an extreme comparison. I would look at maybe Malaysia in 2012, 2013, when there were pro-democracy, pro-electoral reform protests and the government, which had no interest in electoral reform, pulled out the rubber bullets and the water cannon and the tear gas. It’s a breach of trust. If that happens here in any large-scale way, I think that the breach of trust is going to be something that’s irreparable. And we already have a huge distrust issue with American citizens. And this has been happening for decades. I mean, you can’t pin that all on Trump. The fabric of our society has been fraying a little bit for a couple of decades now. But Trump has just basically pulled those threads and totally unraveled it.

Related: Citing COVID-19, Australian court bans George Floyd protests 

Given what you’ve witnessed in other countries that you’ve paid close attention to over the years, how worried are you personally for the US? What are you telling students at King University right now?

I’m very worried. I’ve used the word terrified. I don’t believe that if Trump is reelected that we can withstand four more years. The Constitution — nobody’s defending it. I mean, I’m defending it, there’s many of us, there are dozens of us who are former national security professionals who are out there defending it and trying to remind our elected officials of the oath that they took, just like the ones that I took, to protect and defend the Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. And they’re not actually doing that. To me, in my mind, until they do that, anything can happen.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. 

Protests raise concerns of COVID-19 spread; Researchers retract hydroxycholorquine study

Protests raise concerns of COVID-19 spread; Researchers retract hydroxycholorquine study

The World

June 05, 2020 · 10:15 AM EDT

By
The World staff

People protest in solidarity with those in the United States protesting police brutality and the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, in Sydney, Australia, June 2, 2020.

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Loren Elliott/Reuters

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Top of The World — our morning news round up written by editors at The World. Subscribe here.

As protests reverberate around the world over the police killing of George Floyd, a black man in Minneapolis, Minnesota, some governments have urged would-be protesters to move their activism out of the streets over fears of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, while underscoring her solidarity with protesters, asked them to find an alternative to gathering physically: “Right now, it is the case, unfortunately and regrettably, that large gatherings of people could pose a risk to health and indeed to life.” Scotland is currently under strict coronavirus lockdown rules which prohibit gatherings of more than eight people and require social distancing of at least six feet.

An Australian court banned a Black Lives Matter protest planned in Sydney, citing COVID-19 concerns. While the curve has flattened in New South Wales, authorities warned, “It’s not a time to throw out our caution.” But organizers say they plan to go ahead with the protest, which has also brought attention to deaths in police custody of black and Indigenous people in Australia.

What The World is following

Researchers retracted a study in the Lancet medical journal that found risks in using hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19 patients, saying they can “no longer vouch for the veracity of the primary data sources.” The retraction raises concerns about the rush to publish during the pandemic. 

US President Donald Trump tweeted a letter calling demonstrators in Washington, DC’s Lafayette Square “terrorists” and citing other falsehoods after former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis heavily criticized the president. The peaceful protesters were violently cleared from the square Monday for the president’s photo opportunity, prompting a lawsuit from the ACLU.

From The WorldYemen faces spread of COVID-19 ‘with no health care system at all’

Yemen, made vulnerable by more than five years of war, is ill-equipped to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. The public health problem is exacerbated by warring factions, who downplay the threat of the pandemic even as Yemeni hospitals — and graveyards — are crowded with victims.

Police killing of George Floyd strikes a chord in Kenya

A man sits under a graffiti depicting African American man George Floyd, who was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis, in Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya, June 4, 2020. The writing reads ”Justice” in Swahili. 

Credit:

Baz Ratner/Reuters

George Floyd’s killing by a police offer in the US has struck a chord with Kenyans who have also spoken out against police brutality. When Kenya enacted restrictive policies to curb the spread of the coronavirus, activists sounded the alarm about deadly policing. According to Kenya’s Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA), more than 15 people were killed by police during the coronavirus curfew — including children. Community organizers say that number could be much higher.

From Things That Go Boom: Was the US sleeping through China’s rise? 

China’s millennials reexamine spending habits as economy recovers

Visitors hold face masks at the Shanghai Disneyland theme park as it reopens following a shutdown due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, at Shanghai Disney Resort in Shanghai, China May 11, 2020. 

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Aly Song/Reuters

Millennials in China have been known to be big spenders. But as the Chinese economy recovers from a coronavirus-induced slowdown, many young people are reexamining their lives and their spending habits.

Morning focus

Blowing bubbles looks fun across the universe. Watch this black hole send blobs of 400 million billion pounds of matter into space. 

Credit:

M. Espinasse et al./Université de Paris/CXC/NASA

In case you missed itListen: The parallels of police violence in the US and around the world

A man holds a candle in commemoration of George Floyd, a black man killed while in Minneapolis police custody, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, June 3, 2020.

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Lucas Jackson/Reuters

We continue to focus on the two biggest stories across the globe: Police violence against black people in the US and around the world, and the coronavirus pandemic. The killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the killing of a 14-year-old boy during a botched police raid in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is forcing a reckoning in both countries. Also, how testing and tracing for COVID-19 is working in the UK. And, pandemic lockdowns have changed the way people around the world are using their streets and sidewalks. We take you to a busy street in Milan to hear how people are using new bike lanes and socially-distanced sidewalks.

Don’t forget to subscribe to The World’s Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Soundcloud, RSS.

Citing COVID-19, Australian court bans George Floyd protests in Sydney

Citing COVID-19, Australian court bans George Floyd protests in Sydney

Reuters

June 05, 2020 · 9:30 AM EDT

A woman wears a face mask as people protest in solidarity with those in the United States protesting police brutality and the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, in Sydney, Australia, June 2, 2020.

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Loren Elliott/Reuters

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Australian authorities have banned protests in Syndey and sought to block protests elsewhere around the country set to take place over the weekend inspired by the death of a black American man George Floyd, saying large gatherings risk new coronavirus infections.

Around 50,000 Australians had been expected at nationwide events on Saturday as anger over Floyd’s death in Minneapolis — where a white policeman knelt on his neck — also focuses attention on mistreatment of indigenous Australians.

Health Minister Greg Hunt said people had the right to express themselves, but should the COVID-19 disease spread at protests, it would be impossible to trace all participants.

“Any mass gathering at this time is a lottery with peoples’ lives,” he told reporters in Melbourne.

Authorities in Australia’s most populous state of New South Wales (NSW) secured a Supreme Court injunction to prevent the largest rally planned for Sydney.  

Judge Desmond Fagan said a gathering of thousands was “an unreasonable proposition” given state directives for no more than 10 people to gather.

“It is self-evident that the social distancing measures … have been the key element in minimizing the spread of this disease,” he said, adding that the right to free expression was being “deferred” until a safer time.

Some protesters, however, said they would carry on.

“I never lose my decision to fight for what is true,” rally organizer Raul Bassi said after the court decision.

Australia has avoided the high infections and casualties of other nations, with only 102 deaths, because of border closures and social distancing since March.

NSW police had originally approved the Sydney protest, on the understanding there would be fewer than 500 participants, but far more had been planning to attend.

“The New South Wales government would never, ever give the green light to thousands of people flagrantly disregarding the health orders,” NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters.

In Victoria state, where gatherings of more than 20 people are banned, police threatened fines for protest organisers and people breaking social distancing rules. Queensland and Western Australia states also urged people not to attend rallies.

“Let’s find a better way and another way to express these sentiments,” urged Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

“Let’s exercise our liberties responsibly.”

By Colin Packham and Byron Kaye/Reuters

Police killing of George Floyd strikes a chord in Kenya

Police killing of George Floyd strikes a chord in Kenya

The World

June 04, 2020 · 3:30 PM EDT

By
Halima Gikandi

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A man sits under a graffiti depicting African American man George Floyd, who was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis, in Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya, June 4, 2020. The writing reads ”Justice” in Swahili. 

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Baz Ratner/Reuters

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Early this week, Nafula Wafula, a Kenyan activist, got a call from an American friend living in Nairobi. They talked about the recent killing of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

“When she called me, at the same time I was thinking about the police brutality that is happening here in Kenya,” said Wafula, who is the vice-chairperson of policy at the Commonwealth Youth Council. She also has a brother who lives in the United States.

Related: World responds to protests sparked by George Floyd’s death

“The persons in the poorest communities, informal urban settlements face more police brutality, while in the US it’s more racial.”

Nafula Wafula, activist and vice-chairperson of policy, Commonwealth Youth Council, Kenya

“The persons in the poorest communities, informal urban settlements face more police brutality, while in the US it’s more racial,” said Wafula. Last year, more than 100 people were killed by police violence in Kenya, according to human rights groups. 

Related: Somali Americans share grief and pain over George Floyd’s killing

When Kenya enacted restrictive policies to curb the spread of coronavirus, activists sounded the alarm about deadly policing. According to Kenya’s Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA), more than 15 people were killed by police during the coronavirus curfew — including children. Community organizers say that number could be much higher.

On Thursday, the IPOA announced that six police officers would be arrested and charged over the deaths and assault of Kenyans during the coronavirus curfew, including Yasin Hussein Moyo, a 13-year-old boy killed in March. 

Yet, last Friday, Kenyan police officers killed two children and a woman lost her unborn baby during a police raid in the coastal region of Kwale. Days later, Kenyan police reportedly killed a homeless man in the poor neighborhood of Mathare, in Nairobi. Videos on social media show residents demonstrating in the middle of the night on Monday.

Related: ‘No justice, no peace’: Thousands in London protest the death of Floyd

Despite a nationwide curfew and limit on public gatherings, Wafula and her friend organized a small demonstration of their own on Tuesday, outside the US Embassy in Nairobi. Shortly after, the US ambassador released a video statement condemning the killing of George Floyd, a black man. 

For some, it’s a sign of how much the police killing of George Floyd, and the nationwide protests, has resonated within other countries where police violence is also a problem.

“The events happening in the US have sparked police accountability questions in Kenya. … The cops are very clever in terms of hiding evidence and blaming these victims for being criminals.”

Robi Chacha, human rights attorney, Nairobi, Kenya

“The events happening in the US have sparked police accountability questions in Kenya,” said Robi Chacha, a human rights attorney who recently moved back to Nairobi from San Francisco. He’s worked on extrajudicial killing cases but says they rarely get the level of media attention seen in the US now.

Related: Floyd’s death reverberates in Nigeria 

“The cops are very clever in terms of hiding evidence and blaming these victims for being criminals,” he continued.

On Tuesday, Kenya’s national police spokesperson Charles Owino was asked about police brutality on national TV. 

“Let’s take action against individual police officers who are erratic,” he said. “But let’s support the police, let’s not set the public against our police officers.” Owino denied that the man killed in Mathare was shot by police officers.

Years of pressure from community social justice groups, who have been documenting police killings and violence, has led to some police reforms and increased civilian oversight.

“The only concern for me and for many other Kenyans is why those do not reflect in just for these victims and their families as well,” said Chacha.