Transcripts For BBCNEWS BBC News 20200530

In other News Coronavirus deaths in brazil pass 27,000 overtaking spain to become the country with the fifth highest death toll. Hello and welcome to bbc news. Violence has broken out in many cities across the united states, in protest at the death of an unarmed black man in Police Custody in minneapolis. The Police Officer filmed kneeling on George Floyds neck for almost nine minutes has been charged with murder. There are angry demonstrations across the country here in minneapolis where the curfew which came into operation three hours ago has been ignored. And in boston, new york, denver and washington where the white house was briefly under lockdown. In atlanta there was violence outside the cnn headquarters there. The citys mayor appealed for residents not to take to the streets. You are disgracing our city, you are disgracing the life of george floyd and every other person that has been killed in this country. We are better than this we are better than this as a city. We are better than this as a country. Go home. Go home. Lets get more from our north america correspondent david willis. Passionate pleas for people to go home and frankly though, david, they have been pleas for come from leaders right across the united states, all day, all evening, and it just the united states, all day, all evening, and itjust has not worked. It hasnt, lewis. And there is clearly anger at the police and we are seeing not just black protesters but young, presumably disaffected youths, many of whom have presumably been cooped up for weeks on end because of the coronavirus pandemic. And now they are taking to the streets where all of the attendant dangers that of course poses. You mentioned the white house. It was briefly under lockdown a short while ago after some protesters attempted to scale the walls and get access to the premises. And in minneapolis, that curfew that they were talking about doesnt appear to have materialised. Certainly, the deployment of hundreds of National Guard which were promised there didnt seem to happen and processes have the run of the streets there. And indeed, they have been further reports of looting tonight, that after three nights of excessive violence in minneapolis following the death of george floyd. So, the state governor had promised that there would be a clampdown in minneapolis after what he called 48 hours of anarchy. That does not seem to be the case. And in dozens of other american cities, we are seeing displays of anger directed at the police, lewis. 0k, david, thank you very much for that. David willis bringing us up to speed with the events there, the process taking place right across the united states. And we will stay with these live pictures. This is minneapolis. We have seen clashes between protesters and police. We have seen fires there. A short time ago, Clarence Williams from the Washington Post describe the situation unfolding there in washington. This started at about 5pm dinner time, you know, on a friday. It started with a smaller crowd ofjust over about 150 people, and within an hour it swelled into the hundreds. Protesters were shouting the names of victims here in the state who have been who died at the hands of police, in Police Custody, such as sandra bland and then tamir rice. The protesters then marched south and headed towards the white house, where there were some brief clashes with the Uniformed Secret Service and at least two people were arrested in lafayette park, just across, just north of the white house, the north lawn of the white house. And then protesters have been going for hours since. They traversed to the us capitol. They briefly shut down intersections and a highway. And hundreds of them are still on the march as we speak. We know the white house was in lockdown effectively early on and we understand that that it is now over. But protesters did get to the front of the white house there . Well, it is lafayette park, which is a public park just north of the white house grounds. Police had steel barricades erected along pennsylvania avenue to keep tourists and protesters alike from approaching the fence of the north lawn and several times, at that steel barricades, there were small clashes between police and demonstrators. Water bottles were thrown towards the police onto pennsylvania avenue. At least one gentleman was carried with some difficulty by police, under Police Custody. There was still a crowd, there was pushing, there was shoving, there was a lot of profanity but other than that no arrests or no any apparent sign of any injuries. A few protesters did scrawl some graffiti on one of the buildings nearby but, after about an hour or so, the protesters went on the move again. Thank you so much for talking to us so clearly through that. What is the atmosphere there like now . Were seeing pictures from other cities of cars on fire and really high tensions. Is there a different atmosphere in washington . Talk us for about. At this point in time, that has been no sign of any Major Property damage. Washington seems to have avoided those kinds of clashes, that kind of destruction at this point. I did witness several of the protest organises at the front of the clashes between police and protesters, trying to keep calm voices, trying to keep some distance between police and protesters, trying to calm things down. Here in washington, theres a number of police agencies. The main force here is the dc Police Department. They have decades of experience dealing with protesters. They managed to have a hands off rather approach to this, but some of the other agencies, there have been near clashes. The Us Capitol Police and the us secret service, which are charged with protecting the Capitol Grounds and protecting the white house, have had instances where it appears they were going to stand their ground and the protesters were face to face with them. Many of the protest organisers were able to defuse some of those situations which got quite heated at times but no destruction. I know this is an impossible question so, please, apologies in advance, but any idea on numbers. I know trying to guess numbers in crowds is always a difficult and a dangerous thing to do but give our viewers a sense of how big the protests were or small. Not to be too flippant about it, maths was never my strong suit. But i have worked hard to try work on my crowd estimatations and i think that it started at around 150. It probably reached at the height nearly 2,000 people that left the white house ground. It has now dwindled to just about a couple of hundred. This is a demonstration that throughout has had ebbs and flows. It has had heightened fever pitches but it has calmed down at his point from a high point of 2,000 to just about 200 that are left. 0ur our thanks to Clarence Williams theyre talking to us about events in washington earlier on. Just checking that you can hear me first of all. Ml is a member of mpr. Talk us through what you have been seeing and hearing. I went down about eight or nine hours ago now to the protest demonstrations here in atla nta the protest demonstrations here in atlanta that have been scheduled for this afternoon. And there was quite peaceful, quite a solemn protest at first. They marched from the homebase of the Olympic Games in 1996 here in atlanta, Centennial Park in downtown, to the Georgia State Capitol Building which is about a ten or 15 minute walk away. There we re or 15 minute walk away. There were lots of science, loss of chanting, lots of people wearing face masks as well. Everything was peaceful. They marched back towards the centennial 0lympic park and it is and we start to see scuffles between police and protesters near the cnn World Headquarters which is here in atlanta. There was an hours stand up with belief the two boys. 0ne was an hours stand up with belief the two boys. One point, the police chief came down personally, trying to do interviews with the media and demonstrators they are, but after about ten minutes, things got heated again and that is when we started to see things getting thrown as the cnn building. We saw their logo had graffiti spray painted on it. And then protesters started getting on top of police cars and at one point, when a police car was burnt. And there have been more protest throughout the no two nights here in atla nta. The no two nights here in atlanta. Still going on in a Shopping Centre here. But they are trying, the mayor has spoken out and has been calling for calm in the city right now. We heard that appeal from the mayo early on. It was very powerful, very direct, simply go home it was the message. Of course, not a message of go home to the protesters, but the violence and everything that has spilt from that. Why do you think those messages, to become, calm, too processed, to not spill over into violence, havent been heated . Not spill over into violence, havent been heated . Well, i think, for one thing they came after the fact. A lot of the violence, not violence but demonstration and destruction had happened before those calls happen. You are still seeing some of it. Not as much but some of it. Not as much but some of it. I think it is a fine line that both the male, as well as we heard from doctor Martin Luther kings daughter, bernice said some statements. They are trying to walk a fine line that says we hear you, the problems and stress and distrust you have a police. But at the same time, they are stressing that nonviolent action, not destroying property, not sitting things on fire that needs to be the way, that these needs to be peaceful protest. It doesnt need to be destruction of protests fires and potentially people in what danger and harm s way. I think they are trying to walk a fine line, saying they hear you, they understand what the concerns are, they wa nt to what the concerns are, they want to see them protesting but they do not want to see the violence and destruction going on like we saw today. Thank you very much for talking us through events down there in atla nta. These live pictures we have been showing you is minneapolis. Its gone past 11pm now. The curfew was supposed to take effect at eight p. M. And as you can see, this is what a curfew looks like at the moment. It has been widely ignored, thousands of people still on the streets. Helicopters above streets now giving some elimination to as they continue to walk around they continue to walk around the city of minneapolis there. Quincy walters is a reporter for nprs boston station wbur hes been outside Boston Polices district four station with a crowd of protesters. I spoke to him a little earlier. So, protesters gathered in front of this Police Station behind me a few hours ago. And, protesters were nose to nose with some of the officers. And it happened when a protesters dog walked up on the stairs. Protesters started chanting, i cant read, black lives matter. 0ne Police Officer smirked during this incident and that wild protesters up even more. 0ver the past few hours, people have been leaving but as you can see behind me, there are over a hundred people still out here chanting at police. And what are they asking for, the demands . Because obviously, one of the initial reasons for people to come out on the street was calling for the arrest of the Police Officer, Derek Chauvin. Because that has happened now, what else are they asking for . Right, what this has also conjured up is an awareness of other black people who have been killed by police here in boston. Protesters are asking that those cases be reopened, re examined, and that awareness is brought to the fore about black people who have been killed by Boston Police in the past few years. That was Quincy Walters in boston for us. This is bbc news. The latest headlines protestors in minneapolis have ignored calls to observe a curfew following riots over the killing of george floyd. A Police Officer sacked for his death has been charged with murder. Anger across america the killing has led to clashes with Police Officers in boston, atlanta and a number of major cities. Neill franklin is executive director of the Law Enforcement Action Partnership and worked for the police force in maryland. He told me what the floyd case represents. The issue here is notjust the death of mr floyd, he is just the last straw on the camels back, but there are many other straws underneath that one. And this is not an issue of the past decade, this is not an issue of the past decade, we are talking about 400 years of oppression in this country. We are talking about 400 years of racism in this country, we are talking about a police force in this country that, historically, it was born out of slavery. With rounding up slaves, slave catchers. And we have never dealt with race appropriately in this country. So how do you try to address it . What needs to change within Police Forces . So it is obvious that this current policing paradigm in this countryjust does not work. We need a new policing paradigm in this country, we need a policing paradigm which is one that is under control of the people. A community controlled Police Department is what we need in every corner of this country. And to go further with that, just so people know what i am talking about, i am not talking about a Police Review board that takes a look at an incident once it has occurred, we are talking about a Police Department that is truly governed by the people, a community board, people who live in the community who hire the police chief, who fire the police chief, who set the budget and the philosophy of how that Police Department operates and goes about its policing business within that particular community. That sounds like an issue of transparency. It is definitely an issue of transparency. Transparency is a big problem right now. Including Derek Chauvin there was another Police Officer, but a couple of those Police Officers involved in this incident, and this is just an example, have a history of using Excessive Force in the minneapolis Police Department. And this is just an example of what we see from one Police Department to the next, with its Police Officers and the history of using Excessive Force, history of corruption, and there is no transparency for the community to know about these officers and their tainted past. Of transparency, then we would be able to take action to get these Police Officers removed from the force and prevent things like this from happening. And on this specific case, earlier on on the bbc, reverend Jesse Jackson called for the three other Police Officers to be charged, it is it is certainly a theme that we are hearing on these protest march right across the country right now. Protest marches right across the country right now. Absolutely. They should be charged. A lot of people still dont know that they had a duty according to their policy to intervene in such a case. And it was quite clear that there was a problem here. The nine minutes of Derek Chauvin kneeling on mr floyds neck, the comments notjust from mr floyd, pleading for his life, pleading to breathe, asking for his mother, but the comments from the people, the witnesses on the sidewalk, filming this, over and over and over again, begging the police to let him up, to put him in the police car, not to kneel on his neck any longer, basically to save his life. So those three other officers knew what was happening, there was no doubt, and they should be charged. They violated their policy, they violated their oath of office, and they broke the law. 0ur our thanks to neil franklin. Tim, hopefully you can hear me now. I can, yes. Thank you for joining us. It has been an extraordinary few hours, frankly. What is happening there now . I am on the bbc, there now . I am on the bbc, there is a couple of guys, photographers. Tim. 0k. 0k. There is a couple of guys, photographers. Tim. 0k. Ok. Im not interviewing anyone, they are interviewing me. 0k, not interviewing anyone, they are interviewing me. Ok, so. 0k, are interviewing me. Ok, so. Ok, i are interviewing me. Ok, so. 0k, iam are interviewing me. Ok, so. Ok, i am going to have to step aside here. Hes a cop, hes a cop i am not a cop undercover im sorry. No, tim, it is luis here, can you reassure us, are you safe there . I have no idea. But the crash. Bbc. Where is the bbc . dont know. Tim, i do not want you to be under, in any danger. Can we pause this and you check that you are safe . So we will. That you are safe . So we will. 0k. That you are safe . So we will. 0k. Are you 0k . Yes, i am. The looters have moved on for a moment 0k, am. The looters have moved on for a moment ok, i see. Tim, please do not put yourself in any danger on our behalf. If you are happy to im standing at the corner of leek street and chicago avenue in minneapolis. It is. Thought of the epicentre of what is going on here right now and some looters just managed to break into the front of a liquor store here. And huge crowds of people are running down the street, coming in to get into the liquor store. Cars are lining up on the curb to get up to the front of the store and load the contents of the store into the back of the carand the store into the back of the car and sped away. The power is out in some of the buildings around here. There are a couple of burnt Stores Across the street. It is a little chaotic here. Chaotic is, yeah, certainly a word. Just so you know, we are showing live pictures minneapolis with lots of people still on the street, helicopter lights beaming down on them. It does not seem like the crowds are going anywhere anytime soon . No, you know, this started this afternoon, about five oclock, there was a bunch of double hundred people near the Police Station that burned yesterday. A couple hundred. They started to walk up hundred. They started to walk up lake street and the National Guard and police just let them go and they are now into a major residential area and there is really no way to separate them from the neighbourhood here. And there is quite a bit of fire burning. Ican is quite a bit of fire burning. I can see flames now coming over the tops of the buildings on the next lock and the thing that really concerns me about this is these are residential blocks right behind these stores are houses and you can see people with their lights on watching what is going on and the commercial side of the block, people are streaming around, breaking into buildings and starting fires. Tim, is there any separation between, you know, you described the looters there. But obviously there were protesters out earlier on, we sawjust protesting down the street, not setting fire to things, not looting. Is there a clear separation or is everything such a muddled mess there now . There are no demonstrations here that i can see of any kind anymore, lewis. Wow. It is total chaos, no one is really saying anything, i mean, there is no point being made, people are running in and out of open buildings, hauling away caseloads of whiskey. Throwing rocks. Trace it cars drag racing along the streets here. Horn blares. Very little. The tragic death that started all of it, you know . I have not heard his name in ours out here. Ours. What about coles . Here. Ours. What about coles . From authorities there . Calls from authority there to obey the curfew, clearly it is been ignored, calls for Community Leaders for calm and to obey the law. Clearly, but has been ignored. What will the consequences be off this now . That is unclear. I mean, you know, i was talking to the governor, the governor of minnesota, earlier today, and we said what is going on and why did it take so long to sort of get to this and he said this is on me and were not going to let this happen again and at least this six block stretch of la ke least this six block stretch of lake street, as bad as it has ever been. There are no police here, there are no firefighters. The minneapolis firefighters. The Minneapolis Fire Department indicated to my station but they were not responding to all fires but they were not showing up and they were not showing up and they are just not horn blares. There are no police, there are no firefighters. The other protesters that make there is a protester, people with signs are out now. George floyd signs going by. Black lives matter signs. Those of the demonstrators, they have appeared on lake street. Tim, i do not know whether you can hear me over that noise and we are struggling to hear you a little bit and i am afraid we are what make im walking away. Were out of time too so well have to leave it there but thank you so much for talking to us and do try to stay safe for us. Tim nelson, the reporterfor for us. Tim nelson, the reporter for minnesota public radio, bring us a really valuable insight into what exactly is happening there on the streets of minneapolis. But is it from me. Im Lewis Vaughan jones and this is it from me. Im Lewis Vaughanjones and this is bbc news. Goodbye. Well, friday was a very warm day across the uk. In fact, the hot spot was scotland temperatures got up to 28 degrees. And saturday in most parts of the uk will be every bit as warm at least the low to mid 20s in most major towns and cities. Its been so reliable during the lockdown that the spring has ended up being the sunniest one on record, so this has been confirmed by the met office. Now, High Pressure is in charge of the weather across a large chunk of europe. Its centred across scandinavia and its clearing the skies across the uk, ireland, much of western and central europe. These are the 6am temperatures. A little fresh in parts of east anglia. Maybe in the rural spots, temperatures could be around 6 degrees, but elsewhere, not quite as nippy. Very quickly, the temperatures will rocket during the course of the morning and into the afternoon. Lets take a closer look. So on friday, we had temperatures up to around about 28 in some parts of western scotland. Probably not quite so hot on saturday more like the low to mid 20s. Very warm there in glasgow, 24 celsius. Well match that in liverpool, in birmingham, and probably the hot spot will be somewhere in the south of england temperatures will get up to around 25 degrees celsius. Now, the sun will be very strong as well you can see high uv levels pretty much right across the country so take note if youre planning to enjoy that fine weather outdoors. Saturday nights looking absolutely fine and then sunday, we do it all over again the winds are light, the skies are clear, the temperatures are going to rise. In fact, in one or two spots, it could reach around 26 or 27 celsius, so a hot day on the way, especially across western parts of england on sunday. And over the next few days so this is including the weekend and into next week that warm plume of air from the southern climes continues to spread across the uk, as far north as scandinavia and even pushing to the arctic circle, so those temperatures are expected to, in fact, peak across the south of the uk come tuesday. We could see temperatures getting up to around 28 degrees celsius. But after that, a big change on the way. Look at that back into the teens by the time we get to the weekend. In fact, next weekend, were expecting colder air coming in from the north. Thats it for me. Bye. This is bbc news, the headlines in minneapolis protestors have ignored calls to observe a curfew following riots over the killing of george floyd. A Police Officer sacked for his death has been charged with murder. Clashes have also taken place between demonstrators and police in boston and atlanta. President trump has called on people to obey the law. Brazil has reported nearly 27,000 cases of covid 19 in the past 24 hours a new daily record. Its now surpassed spain in the total number of virus deaths, with the fifth highest figure in the world. President Jair Bolsonaro says the spread of the virus is inevitable and the economy should be reopened immediately. The uk government has announced changes to the scheme that covers the wages of furloughed workers affected by the coronavirus lockdown. Businesses will have to start paying contributions, from august