People take part in a "Black Lives Matter" demonstration in front of the U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen, Denmark, on June 7, 2020. More than 15,000 protesters gathered peacefully in front of the U.S. embassy in the center of the Danish capital on Sunday afternoon, shouting slogans and holding banners as part of the Danish "Black Lives Matter" demonstration. (Photo by David A. Williams/Xinhua)
COPENHAGEN, June 7 (Xinhua) -- More than 15,000 protesters gathered peacefully in front of the U.S. embassy in the center of the Danish capital on Sunday afternoon, shouting slogans and holding banners as part of the Danish "Black Lives Matter" demonstration.
After demonstrating in front of the U.S. embassy for about an hour chanting "I can't breathe", demonstrators marched through central Copenhagen, in the vicinity of the iconic Little Mermaid, along Kongegade street, before arriving at Christiansborgs Slotsplats, home of the Danish parliament, for speeches.
The demonstration started at around 2 p.m. local time was particularly noticeable for its racial and age diversity, good nature, and a light police presence.
"The demonstration took place in good order, and did not give rise to major traffic challenges, despite the high number of participants," said Copenhagen Police on Twitter.
The closing time was set for 5 p.m., and the police did not expect the demonstration to develop.
Sunday's massive demonstration came in the wake of another Copenhagen protest last week, and two protests in the regional capital of Odense and Aarhus, which saw a few thousand participated.
The demonstrations in Denmark were part of a huge wave of protests worldwide ignited by the police killing of George Floyd, an unarmed African American.
Floyd, 46, died on May 25 in the U.S. city of Minneapolis after a white police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes while he was handcuffed facing down and repeatedly said he couldn't breathe.
On Saturday, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen expressed in a Facebook post her appreciation for people all over the world standing together to "fight against racism and the brutality that has stolen many people's lives."
"It sends a strong message about the values on which both the American and our own communities are built," she wrote.
