Tensions mar Paris protest as Floyd outrage goes global
Sylvie Corbet and Nicolas Garriga
The Associated PressStaff
Contact
Published Tuesday, June 2, 2020 6:08AM
CTV National News: The message on the streets
NOW PLAYING
Cities across America witnessed another night of both peaceful and violent protests. Joy Malbon has the latest on America's outrage.
CTV National News: Show of force
NOW PLAYING
Tom Walters reports on the nationwide outcry against police brutality that has been met with violence from some and solidarity from others.
Madan on demonstrations across America
NOW PLAYING
Richard Madan has the latest on the continuing protests across the United States, as U.S. President Trump continues to threaten to deploy the military.
Change in how leaders are addressing racism
NOW PLAYING
UCLA/Columbia Law School professor Kimberle Crenshaw speaks about how leaders are looking at systemic racism and civil rights violations.
CTV National News: An angry population unleashed
NOW PLAYING
Across the U.S., peaceful protests continue to escalate into chaos and violence between protesters and police. Joy Malbon reports.
'Let's do this another way': Floyd's brother
NOW PLAYING
Terrence Floyd, the brother of George Floyd, visits the memorial where he died and calls for peaceful protests in memory of his brother.
'A wonderful opportunity to show that love wins'
NOW PLAYING
Warning: Graphic - A Florida state trooper broke from a line of his colleagues to hug an activist at a protest against anti-black racism.
Anti-racism protests held all over the world
NOW PLAYING
Protests were held all around the world over George Floyd's death and against racism.
Power Play: 'There is a lot of trauma'
NOW PLAYING
Minnesota Act Now's Bishop Harding Smith says there are a lot of people that are traumatized by the brutal death of George Floyd.
Floyd family pleads for peace
NOW PLAYING
Dozens of American cities are bracing for new protests in the wake of the death of George Floyd, as Canadian leaders also call for change.
'Real change' needed from legislators: Former cop
NOW PLAYING
Deandre Hutchinson, president of the Afro American Officers League, says the president needs to focus on the death of George Floyd, not what followed.
Activist says politicians 'fail to step up'
NOW PLAYING
Jason Sole, Co-founder of Humanize My Hoodie, says politicians faling to do the right thing.
CTV National News: Violent riots continue
NOW PLAYING
Protesters continue to face off with police in violent demonstrations across the U.S. over the death of George Floyd. Joy Malbon reports.
CTV National News: Three generations protest
NOW PLAYING
A remarkable exchange shows the raw trauma and real pain felt between three generations of black men in North Carolina.
'Another wave of the civil rights movement'
NOW PLAYING
Keith Mayes, professor of African American studies at the University of Minnesota, says focus needs to stay on the intent of the protests.
How Trump responds to racial tensions
NOW PLAYING
Reuters White House correspondent Jeff Mason talks about U.S. President Donald Trump's actions during times of racial disharmony.
'The look on people's faces broke my heart'
NOW PLAYING
Minnesota Public Radio News producer Alex Baumhardt speaks from Minneapolis where there have been reports of a tanker-truck plowing through a crowd on I-35W.
Curfew set in Minnesota in hopes to ease protests
NOW PLAYING
Minnesota Public Radio News reporter Matt Sepic says video of a semi-truck driving into protesters on highway I-35W has surfaced on Twitter.
Tensions over Floyd death boil over in U.S.
NOW PLAYING
Police and protesters clashed for another night in cities across the U.S., as crowds called for justice in the wake of George Floyd’s death.
NYPD car drives into crowd of people
NOW PLAYING
People in New York are outraged after police tried to defuse the protest by driving a car into a crowd of people.
Scenes of solidarity in wake of George Floyd death
NOW PLAYING
As violent protests erupted in cities across America, there were also peaceful scenes of solidarity between police and demonstrators.
Violent protest erupt across U.S.
NOW PLAYING
Howard University Professor Michael Fauntroy joins CTV News Channel to discuss the latest regarding the protests in Minneapolis.
CTV National News: Mayhem in Minneapolis
NOW PLAYING
Anguish continues across Minneapolis as protesters burned police cruisers outraged over the death of George Floyd. Tom Walters reports.
CTV National News: A state of rage
NOW PLAYING
What began as peaceful protests has quickly turned violent in many cities demanding more police accountability. Richard Madan has more.
Unrest continues to spread across the U.S.
NOW PLAYING
Protests continue across at least 30 cities in the U.S. over the death of George Floyd. NBC's Susan McGinnis reports.
'Protests will continue well into the night': reporter
NOW PLAYING
CNN's Daryl Forges reports from Minneapolis where he says protesters have taken a more peaceful approach compared to earlier demonstrations.
'We have to recognize the violation of trust'
NOW PLAYING
President, Afro American Police Officers League Deandre Hutchison urges other law enforcement officials to voice their outrage over the death of George Floyd.
Protests continue across the U.S.
NOW PLAYING
University of Dayton Law Professor Thaddeus Hoffmeister talks about the continuing protests across the U.S. over the death of George Floyd.
National Guard deployed to aid cities amid clashes
NOW PLAYING
Local leaders have summoned the National Guard in order to help U.S. cities amid clashes caused by the death of George Floyd.
'There's a lot of anguish': Bishop Harding Smith
NOW PLAYING
President of Minnesota Acts Now, Bishop Harding Smith says this is about systemic racism that African Americans have endured for decades.
Protests 'no longer' about Floyd: Minn. Gov.
NOW PLAYING
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz holds a press conference on the violent protests in Minneapolis on the death of George Floyd.
'Justice will be served'
NOW PLAYING
U.S. Attorney General William Barr says he is confident that justice will be served in the death of George Floyd while in police custody.
The current situation in Minneapolis
NOW PLAYING
CNN's Nadia Romero explains the current situation in Minneapolis where large protest have been going on over the death of George Floyd.
Apology issued after CNN reporter arrested
NOW PLAYING
The National Guard has moved in on Minneapolis as protests continue. CTV's Akshay Tandon reports on arrests and unrest.
CNN reporter arrested during live broadcast
NOW PLAYING
CNN reporter Omar Jimenez was arrested during while reporting live in Minneapolis.
CTV National News: Anger erupts in U.S.
NOW PLAYING
After another night of violent protests, and amid growing anger, an ex-cop was arrested in George Floyd's death. Tom Walters reports.
U.S. officials announce charges in Floyd death
NOW PLAYING
U.S. officials announced charges against Derek Chauvin, the former police officer who sparked protests, for the death of George Floyd.
Officer charged with the murder of George Floyd
NOW PLAYING
CTV’s Akshay Tandon breaks down the situation unfolding the U.S. in the wake of the death of George Floyd.
The aftermath of violent protests in Minneapolis
NOW PLAYING
CNN reporter Nadia Romero describes the scene in Minneapolis where protestors set several structures on fire.
Violent protests continue in Minnesota
NOW PLAYING
Protesters set fires and damaged buildings in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, over the death of George Floyd.
CTV National News: Unrest in Minneapolis
NOW PLAYING
Buildings were set on fire and tear gas was deployed as peaceful protests over George Floyd's death turned violent. Tom Walters reports.
Violence breaks out during CNN reporter's hit
NOW PLAYING
CNN's Nadia Romero was doing a live hit on CTV News when violence broke out at a protest in Minneapolis after a night of unrest.
'We must restore the peace': mayor on protests
NOW PLAYING
Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey speaks on the violent protests that broke out in the city after George Floyd was killed in a police altercation
Violence and protests in Minneapolis
NOW PLAYING
Protests took place again after the police killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who was violently arrested by police officers.
Floyd protests turn violent in Minneapolis
NOW PLAYING
Stores were looted and buildings burned as protests in Minneapolis turned violent. CTV's Akshay Tandon reports.
CTV National News: America's double standard
NOW PLAYING
Protesters marched in Minneapolis demanding justice after an unarmed black man died following a brutal arrest. Tom Walters reports.
CTV National News: Chokehold arrest caught on cam
NOW PLAYING
Tom Walters reports on the graphic evidence of an arrest of an unarmed black man that has sparked protests in Minneapolis.
PARIS -- Tear gas choked Paris streets as riot police faced off with protesters setting fires Tuesday amid growing global outrage over George Floyd's death in the United States, racial injustice and heavy-handed police tactics around the world.
French protesters took a knee and raised their fists while firefighters struggled to extinguish multiple blazes as a largely peaceful, multiracial demonstration degenerated into scattered tensions. Police said at least 20,000 people joined the demonstration, defying a virus-related ban on protests to pay homage to Floyd and Adama Traore, a French black man who died in police custody.
Electric scooters and construction barriers went up in flames, and smoke stained a sign reading "Restaurant Open" -- on the first day French cafes were allowed to open after nearly three months of virus lockdown.
American streets calmest in days, protests largely peaceful
Trudeau's long silence: PM pauses, avoids Trump's name in reaction to protests
Minneapolis police face civil rights probe over Floyd death
Embracing religious themes, Trump visits John Paul II shrine
Tensions mar Paris protest as Floyd outrage goes global
D.C. bishop: 'I am outraged' by Trump church visit amid protests
6 Atlanta officers charged after students pulled from car
Death toll grows in U.S. protests against anti-black racism
Canadian companies must support anti-racism efforts with action, experts say
St. Louis officers in marked police car shot at by suspected looters
Police joining protesters for prayers, hugs in some U.S. cities
Trump threatens to send in army amid protests across the U.S.
'Time for us to talk': Masai Ujiri stresses need for conversation amid protests
Obama condemns violence and calls for change in wake of George Floyd protests
Social media, music world go dark for Black Out Tuesday
Chanting "I can't breathe," thousands marched peacefully through Australia's largest city, while thousands more demonstrated in the Dutch capital of The Hague and hundreds rallied in Tel Aviv. Expressions of anger erupted in multiple languages on social networks, with thousands of Swedes joining an online protest and others speaking out under the banner of #BlackOutTuesday.
Diplomatic ire percolated too, with the European Union's top foreign policy official saying the bloc was "shocked and appalled" by Floyd's death.
Floyd died last week after a police officer pressed his knee into his neck for several minutes even after he stopped moving and pleading for air. The death set off protests that spread across America -- and now, beyond.
As demonstrations escalated worldwide, solidarity with U.S. protesters increasingly mixed with local worries.
"This happened in the United States, but it happens in France, it happens everywhere," Paris protester Xavier Dintimille said. While he said police violence seems worse in the U.S., he added, "all blacks live this to a degree."
Fears of the coronavirus remain close to the surface and were the reason cited for banning Tuesday's protest at the main Paris courthouse, because gatherings of more than 10 people remain forbidden.
But demonstrators showed up anyway. Some said police violence worsened during virus confinement in working class suburbs with large minority populations, deepening a feeling of injustice.
As the Paris demonstration wound down, police fired volley after volley of tear gas and protesters threw debris. Police were less visible than usual at the city's frequent protests. Tensions also erupted at a related protest in the southern city of Marseille.
The demonstrations were held in honour of Traore, who died shortly after his arrest in 2016, and in solidarity with Americans demonstrating against Floyd's death.
The Traore case has become emblematic of the fight against police brutality in France. The circumstances of the death of the 24-year-old Frenchman of Malian origin are still under investigation after four years of conflicting medical reports about what happened.
The lawyer for two of the three police officers involved in the arrest, Rodolphe Bosselut, said the Floyd and Traore cases "have strictly nothing to do with each other." Bosselut told The Associated Press that Traore's death wasn't linked with the conditions of his arrest but other factors, including a preexisting medical condition.
Traore's family says he died from asphyxiation because of police tactics -- and that his last words were "I can't breathe."
"I can't breathe" were also the final words of David Dungay, a 26-year-old Aboriginal man who died in a Sydney prison in 2015 while being restrained by five guards.
As 3,000 people marched peacefully through Sydney, many said they had been inspired by a mixture of sympathy for African Americans and to call for change in Australia's treatment of its indigenous population, particularly involving police. The mostly Australian crowd at the authorized demonstration also included protesters from the U.S. and elsewhere.
"I'm here for my people, and for our fallen brothers and sisters around the world," said Sydney indigenous woman Amanda Hill, 46, who attended the rally with her daughter and two nieces. "What's happening in America shines a light on the situation here."
Even as U.S. President Donald Trump fanned anger by threatening to send in troops on American protesters, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau refrained from directly criticizing him and said the protests should force awareness of racism everywhere.
"We all watch in horror and consternation what's going on in the United States," he said after pausing 21 seconds before answering. "But it is a time for us as Canadians to recognize that we, too, have our challenges, that black Canadians and racialized Canadians face discrimination as a lived reality every single day. There is systemic discrimination in Canada."
More protests in various countries are planned later in the week, including a string of demonstrations in front of U.S. embassies on Saturday.
The drama unfolding in the U.S. drew increasing diplomatic concern.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell's remarks in Brussels were the strongest to come out of the 27-nation bloc, saying Floyd's death was a result of an abuse of power.
Borrell told reporters that "like the people of the United States, we are shocked and appalled by the death of George Floyd." He underlined that Europeans "support the right to peaceful protest, and also we condemn violence and racism of any kind, and for sure, we call for a de-escalation of tensions."
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said peaceful protests in the U.S. following Floyd's death are "understandable and more than legitimate."
"I can only express my hope that the peaceful protests do not continue to lead to violence, but even more express the hope that these protests have an effect in the United States," Maas said.
More African leaders are speaking up over the killing of Floyd.
"It cannot be right that, in the 21st century, the United States, this great bastion of democracy, continues to grapple with the problem of systemic racism," Ghana President Nana Akufo-Addo said in a statement, adding that black people the world over are shocked and distraught.
Kenyan opposition leader and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga offered a prayer for the U.S., "that there be justice and freedom for all human beings who call America their country."
Like some in Africa who have spoken out, Odinga also noted troubles at home, saying the judging of people by character instead of skin colour "is a dream we in Africa, too, owe our citizens."
------
Associated Press writers Rick Rycroft in Sydney, Rod McGuirk in Canberra, Australia, Lori Hinnant in Paris, Aritz Parra in Madrid, Frank Jordans in Berlin, Lorne Cook in Brussels, Peter Dejong in The Hague contributed.
CTV National News: The message on the streets
NOW PLAYING
Cities across America witnessed another night of both peaceful and violent protests. Joy Malbon has the latest on America's outrage.
CTV National News: Show of force
NOW PLAYING
Tom Walters reports on the nationwide outcry against police brutality that has been met with violence from some and solidarity from others.
Madan on demonstrations across America
NOW PLAYING
Richard Madan has the latest on the continuing protests across the United States, as U.S. President Trump continues to threaten to deploy the military.
Change in how leaders are addressing racism
NOW PLAYING
UCLA/Columbia Law School professor Kimberle Crenshaw speaks about how leaders are looking at systemic racism and civil rights violations.
CTV National News: An angry population unleashed
NOW PLAYING
Across the U.S., peaceful protests continue to escalate into chaos and violence between protesters and police. Joy Malbon reports.
'Let's do this another way': Floyd's brother
NOW PLAYING
Terrence Floyd, the brother of George Floyd, visits the memorial where he died and calls for peaceful protests in memory of his brother.
'A wonderful opportunity to show that love wins'
NOW PLAYING
Warning: Graphic - A Florida state trooper broke from a line of his colleagues to hug an activist at a protest against anti-black racism.
Anti-racism protests held all over the world
NOW PLAYING
Protests were held all around the world over George Floyd's death and against racism.
Power Play: 'There is a lot of trauma'
NOW PLAYING
Minnesota Act Now's Bishop Harding Smith says there are a lot of people that are traumatized by the brutal death of George Floyd.
Floyd family pleads for peace
NOW PLAYING
Dozens of American cities are bracing for new protests in the wake of the death of George Floyd, as Canadian leaders also call for change.
'Real change' needed from legislators: Former cop
NOW PLAYING
Deandre Hutchinson, president of the Afro American Officers League, says the president needs to focus on the death of George Floyd, not what followed.
Activist says politicians 'fail to step up'
NOW PLAYING
Jason Sole, Co-founder of Humanize My Hoodie, says politicians faling to do the right thing.
CTV National News: Violent riots continue
NOW PLAYING
Protesters continue to face off with police in violent demonstrations across the U.S. over the death of George Floyd. Joy Malbon reports.
CTV National News: Three generations protest
NOW PLAYING
A remarkable exchange shows the raw trauma and real pain felt between three generations of black men in North Carolina.
'Another wave of the civil rights movement'
NOW PLAYING
Keith Mayes, professor of African American studies at the University of Minnesota, says focus needs to stay on the intent of the protests.
How Trump responds to racial tensions
NOW PLAYING
Reuters White House correspondent Jeff Mason talks about U.S. President Donald Trump's actions during times of racial disharmony.
'The look on people's faces broke my heart'
NOW PLAYING
Minnesota Public Radio News producer Alex Baumhardt speaks from Minneapolis where there have been reports of a tanker-truck plowing through a crowd on I-35W.
Curfew set in Minnesota in hopes to ease protests
NOW PLAYING
Minnesota Public Radio News reporter Matt Sepic says video of a semi-truck driving into protesters on highway I-35W has surfaced on Twitter.
Tensions over Floyd death boil over in U.S.
NOW PLAYING
Police and protesters clashed for another night in cities across the U.S., as crowds called for justice in the wake of George Floyd’s death.
NYPD car drives into crowd of people
NOW PLAYING
People in New York are outraged after police tried to defuse the protest by driving a car into a crowd of people.
Scenes of solidarity in wake of George Floyd death
NOW PLAYING
As violent protests erupted in cities across America, there were also peaceful scenes of solidarity between police and demonstrators.
Violent protest erupt across U.S.
NOW PLAYING
Howard University Professor Michael Fauntroy joins CTV News Channel to discuss the latest regarding the protests in Minneapolis.
CTV National News: Mayhem in Minneapolis
NOW PLAYING
Anguish continues across Minneapolis as protesters burned police cruisers outraged over the death of George Floyd. Tom Walters reports.
CTV National News: A state of rage
NOW PLAYING
What began as peaceful protests has quickly turned violent in many cities demanding more police accountability. Richard Madan has more.
Unrest continues to spread across the U.S.
NOW PLAYING
Protests continue across at least 30 cities in the U.S. over the death of George Floyd. NBC's Susan McGinnis reports.
'Protests will continue well into the night': reporter
NOW PLAYING
CNN's Daryl Forges reports from Minneapolis where he says protesters have taken a more peaceful approach compared to earlier demonstrations.
'We have to recognize the violation of trust'
NOW PLAYING
President, Afro American Police Officers League Deandre Hutchison urges other law enforcement officials to voice their outrage over the death of George Floyd.
Protests continue across the U.S.
NOW PLAYING
University of Dayton Law Professor Thaddeus Hoffmeister talks about the continuing protests across the U.S. over the death of George Floyd.
National Guard deployed to aid cities amid clashes
NOW PLAYING
Local leaders have summoned the National Guard in order to help U.S. cities amid clashes caused by the death of George Floyd.
'There's a lot of anguish': Bishop Harding Smith
NOW PLAYING
President of Minnesota Acts Now, Bishop Harding Smith says this is about systemic racism that African Americans have endured for decades.
Protests 'no longer' about Floyd: Minn. Gov.
NOW PLAYING
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz holds a press conference on the violent protests in Minneapolis on the death of George Floyd.
'Justice will be served'
NOW PLAYING
U.S. Attorney General William Barr says he is confident that justice will be served in the death of George Floyd while in police custody.
The current situation in Minneapolis
NOW PLAYING
CNN's Nadia Romero explains the current situation in Minneapolis where large protest have been going on over the death of George Floyd.
Apology issued after CNN reporter arrested
NOW PLAYING
The National Guard has moved in on Minneapolis as protests continue. CTV's Akshay Tandon reports on arrests and unrest.
CNN reporter arrested during live broadcast
NOW PLAYING
CNN reporter Omar Jimenez was arrested during while reporting live in Minneapolis.
CTV National News: Anger erupts in U.S.
NOW PLAYING
After another night of violent protests, and amid growing anger, an ex-cop was arrested in George Floyd's death. Tom Walters reports.
U.S. officials announce charges in Floyd death
NOW PLAYING
U.S. officials announced charges against Derek Chauvin, the former police officer who sparked protests, for the death of George Floyd.
Officer charged with the murder of George Floyd
NOW PLAYING
CTV’s Akshay Tandon breaks down the situation unfolding the U.S. in the wake of the death of George Floyd.
The aftermath of violent protests in Minneapolis
NOW PLAYING
CNN reporter Nadia Romero describes the scene in Minneapolis where protestors set several structures on fire.
Violent protests continue in Minnesota
NOW PLAYING
Protesters set fires and damaged buildings in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, over the death of George Floyd.
CTV National News: Unrest in Minneapolis
NOW PLAYING
Buildings were set on fire and tear gas was deployed as peaceful protests over George Floyd's death turned violent. Tom Walters reports.
Violence breaks out during CNN reporter's hit
NOW PLAYING
CNN's Nadia Romero was doing a live hit on CTV News when violence broke out at a protest in Minneapolis after a night of unrest.
'We must restore the peace': mayor on protests
NOW PLAYING
Minneapolis mayor Jacob Frey speaks on the violent protests that broke out in the city after George Floyd was killed in a police altercation
Violence and protests in Minneapolis
NOW PLAYING
Protests took place again after the police killing of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who was violently arrested by police officers.
Floyd protests turn violent in Minneapolis
NOW PLAYING
Stores were looted and buildings burned as protests in Minneapolis turned violent. CTV's Akshay Tandon reports.
CTV National News: America's double standard
NOW PLAYING
Protesters marched in Minneapolis demanding justice after an unarmed black man died following a brutal arrest. Tom Walters reports.
CTV National News: Chokehold arrest caught on cam
NOW PLAYING
Tom Walters reports on the graphic evidence of an arrest of an unarmed black man that has sparked protests in Minneapolis.
PARIS -- Tear gas choked Paris streets as riot police faced off with protesters setting fires Tuesday amid growing global outrage over George Floyd's death in the United States, racial injustice and heavy-handed police tactics around the world.
French protesters took a knee and raised their fists while firefighters struggled to extinguish multiple blazes as a largely peaceful, multiracial demonstration degenerated into scattered tensions. Police said at least 20,000 people joined the demonstration, defying a virus-related ban on protests to pay homage to Floyd and Adama Traore, a French black man who died in police custody.
Electric scooters and construction barriers went up in flames, and smoke stained a sign reading "Restaurant Open" -- on the first day French cafes were allowed to open after nearly three months of virus lockdown.
American streets calmest in days, protests largely peaceful
Trudeau's long silence: PM pauses, avoids Trump's name in reaction to protests
Minneapolis police face civil rights probe over Floyd death
Embracing religious themes, Trump visits John Paul II shrine
Tensions mar Paris protest as Floyd outrage goes global
D.C. bishop: 'I am outraged' by Trump church visit amid protests
6 Atlanta officers charged after students pulled from car
Death toll grows in U.S. protests against anti-black racism
Canadian companies must support anti-racism efforts with action, experts say
St. Louis officers in marked police car shot at by suspected looters
Police joining protesters for prayers, hugs in some U.S. cities
Trump threatens to send in army amid protests across the U.S.
'Time for us to talk': Masai Ujiri stresses need for conversation amid protests
Obama condemns violence and calls for change in wake of George Floyd protests
Social media, music world go dark for Black Out Tuesday
Chanting "I can't breathe," thousands marched peacefully through Australia's largest city, while thousands more demonstrated in the Dutch capital of The Hague and hundreds rallied in Tel Aviv. Expressions of anger erupted in multiple languages on social networks, with thousands of Swedes joining an online protest and others speaking out under the banner of #BlackOutTuesday.
Diplomatic ire percolated too, with the European Union's top foreign policy official saying the bloc was "shocked and appalled" by Floyd's death.
Floyd died last week after a police officer pressed his knee into his neck for several minutes even after he stopped moving and pleading for air. The death set off protests that spread across America -- and now, beyond.
As demonstrations escalated worldwide, solidarity with U.S. protesters increasingly mixed with local worries.
"This happened in the United States, but it happens in France, it happens everywhere," Paris protester Xavier Dintimille said. While he said police violence seems worse in the U.S., he added, "all blacks live this to a degree."
Fears of the coronavirus remain close to the surface and were the reason cited for banning Tuesday's protest at the main Paris courthouse, because gatherings of more than 10 people remain forbidden.
But demonstrators showed up anyway. Some said police violence worsened during virus confinement in working class suburbs with large minority populations, deepening a feeling of injustice.
As the Paris demonstration wound down, police fired volley after volley of tear gas and protesters threw debris. Police were less visible than usual at the city's frequent protests. Tensions also erupted at a related protest in the southern city of Marseille.
The demonstrations were held in honour of Traore, who died shortly after his arrest in 2016, and in solidarity with Americans demonstrating against Floyd's death.
The Traore case has become emblematic of the fight against police brutality in France. The circumstances of the death of the 24-year-old Frenchman of Malian origin are still under investigation after four years of conflicting medical reports about what happened.
The lawyer for two of the three police officers involved in the arrest, Rodolphe Bosselut, said the Floyd and Traore cases "have strictly nothing to do with each other." Bosselut told The Associated Press that Traore's death wasn't linked with the conditions of his arrest but other factors, including a preexisting medical condition.
Traore's family says he died from asphyxiation because of police tactics -- and that his last words were "I can't breathe."
"I can't breathe" were also the final words of David Dungay, a 26-year-old Aboriginal man who died in a Sydney prison in 2015 while being restrained by five guards.
As 3,000 people marched peacefully through Sydney, many said they had been inspired by a mixture of sympathy for African Americans and to call for change in Australia's treatment of its indigenous population, particularly involving police. The mostly Australian crowd at the authorized demonstration also included protesters from the U.S. and elsewhere.
"I'm here for my people, and for our fallen brothers and sisters around the world," said Sydney indigenous woman Amanda Hill, 46, who attended the rally with her daughter and two nieces. "What's happening in America shines a light on the situation here."
Even as U.S. President Donald Trump fanned anger by threatening to send in troops on American protesters, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau refrained from directly criticizing him and said the protests should force awareness of racism everywhere.
"We all watch in horror and consternation what's going on in the United States," he said after pausing 21 seconds before answering. "But it is a time for us as Canadians to recognize that we, too, have our challenges, that black Canadians and racialized Canadians face discrimination as a lived reality every single day. There is systemic discrimination in Canada."
More protests in various countries are planned later in the week, including a string of demonstrations in front of U.S. embassies on Saturday.
The drama unfolding in the U.S. drew increasing diplomatic concern.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell's remarks in Brussels were the strongest to come out of the 27-nation bloc, saying Floyd's death was a result of an abuse of power.
Borrell told reporters that "like the people of the United States, we are shocked and appalled by the death of George Floyd." He underlined that Europeans "support the right to peaceful protest, and also we condemn violence and racism of any kind, and for sure, we call for a de-escalation of tensions."
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said peaceful protests in the U.S. following Floyd's death are "understandable and more than legitimate."
"I can only express my hope that the peaceful protests do not continue to lead to violence, but even more express the hope that these protests have an effect in the United States," Maas said.
More African leaders are speaking up over the killing of Floyd.
"It cannot be right that, in the 21st century, the United States, this great bastion of democracy, continues to grapple with the problem of systemic racism," Ghana President Nana Akufo-Addo said in a statement, adding that black people the world over are shocked and distraught.
Kenyan opposition leader and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga offered a prayer for the U.S., "that there be justice and freedom for all human beings who call America their country."
Like some in Africa who have spoken out, Odinga also noted troubles at home, saying the judging of people by character instead of skin colour "is a dream we in Africa, too, owe our citizens."
------
Associated Press writers Rick Rycroft in Sydney, Rod McGuirk in Canberra, Australia, Lori Hinnant in Paris, Aritz Parra in Madrid, Frank Jordans in Berlin, Lorne Cook in Brussels, Peter Dejong in The Hague contributed.
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