Most significant political movement of 2020: A look at 'Black Lives Matter' protests

SUMMARY

The "Black Lives Matter" movement that began in the US as a protest against police violence against the black population later spread across the globe reshaping the way we looked at our past and changing the course of the future. The movement along with the COVID-19 pandemic was undoubtedly the most significant events of the year.

By CNBCTV18.comDec 14, 2020 2:33:32 PM IST (Published)

Founded in 2013, the "Black Lives Matter" movement has been advocating for non-violent civil disobedience to protest against police brutality and racially motivated violence against black people. It was BlackLivesMatter founded following the acquittal of Trayvon Martin's killer. The movement saw widespread protests across the US, Canada, the UK and parts of Europe following the deaths of George Floyd and other members of the black community in 2020. A survey had suggested that about 15 million to 26 million people in the US participated in demonstrations over the deaths. Here's a look at the protests.

Protesters on horseback rally against the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, through downtown Houston, Texas.

People react to a victory speech by President-elect Joe Biden while celebrating at Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington.

Tyshawn, 9, left, and his brother Tyler, 11, right, of Baltimore, hold signs saying "Black Lives Matter" and "I Can't Breathe" as they sit on a concrete barrier near a police line as demonstrators protest along a section of 16th Street that has been renamed Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington. George Floyd's plea of "I can't breathe," to the officer kneeling on his neck, holds the number two position on the Yale Law School librarian's list of the most notable quotes of 2020.

Protester Patrick Hutchinson carries an injured counter-protester to safety, near Waterloo station during a Black Lives Matter protest following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody, in London, Britain.

Protestors attach a chain to the statue of U.S. President Andrew Jackson in the middle of Lafayette Park in front of the White House in an attempt to pull it down as someone throws a roll of toilet paper at the statue during racial inequality protests in Washington, D.C.

Rain falls as C'Monie Scott raises her fist while people chant around her at a memorial site for George Floyd that has been created at the place where he was taken into police custody and later pronounced dead, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.

Pedestrians walk past a large "Black Lives Matter" banner painted on a street near the Brooklyn borough hall in New York City, New York.

A police officer kneels during a protest against the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, outside LAPD headquarters in Los Angeles, California.

U.S. President Donald Trump walks past graffiti during a to visit St. John's Episcopal Church across from the White House during ongoing protests over racial inequality in the wake of the death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody, in Washington.

Protesters use umbrellas at the front line of a barricade guarded by Seattle police and the National Guard following the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, near the department's East Precinct in Seattle, Washington.

Patricia McCloskey and her husband Mark McCloskey draw their firearms on protestors as they enter their neighbourhood during a protest against St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson, in St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. June 28, 2020.

Protesters rally at the White House against the death in Minneapolis police custody of George Floyd, in Washington, D.C.

A demonstrator pumps his fist as others gather in front of the Lincoln Memorial for the "Get Your Knee Off Our Necks" march in support of racial justice that is expected to gather protestors from all over the country in Washington.