New York, like many American cities, has been the scene for several days of sometimes violent demonstrations. The mayor, Bill de Blasio, therefore imposed a curfew in the Big Apple on Monday between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. A measure which aims to calm clashes between police and protesters.
The latter have been protesting against racism and police violence since the death of George Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American, during a brutal arrest in Minneapolis, Minnesota. A policeman had held his neck with his knee for long minutes, while the forty-something complained that he could not breathe.
Police presence “doubled”
“I spoke to (New York) Governor Andrew Cuomo and for the safety of all, we have decided to put in place a curfew for New York City tonight: it will go into effect at 11 p.m. and will be lifted. at 5 am, “said the mayor of the American economic capital in a tweet, following in the footsteps of around forty other cities that have already taken this measure.
The mayor and the governor, both Democrats, also announced that they would “double the police presence” in the face of the demonstrations which shake the first American metropolis since Thursday evening. The confrontations between demonstrators and police officers have multiplied, with burnt cars and looting of stores this weekend, in particular on the main artery of Broadway in Manhattan. “The protests have been generally calm. We cannot let the violence undermine the message of this moment,” Bill de Blasio said in a statement.
New events Monday
The mayor also promised that the police would be “held accountable” in the event of further police brutality, and that the police chief would speak about it later in the day. Governor Cuomo pointed out that there were “people who take advantage of this moment for personal profit.” “The violence and the looting that have taken place are bad for the city, the state and all this movement, undermining and diverting from a just cause,” he insisted.
The announcement comes as new protests began, with around 1,000 people already gathered in Times Square by mid-afternoon Monday, pending further gatherings scheduled for late afternoon in the Brooklyn and Queens districts. Some protesters, however, immediately declared their intention not to respect the curfew.
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