‘Now is the time for racial justice’: Joe Biden gives powerful address at George Floyd's funeral as Trump stays quiet

'We cannot leave this moment thinking we can once again turn away from racism that stings at our very soul, from systemic abuse that still plagues American life'

The former vice president Joe Biden has led calls for racial justice as he spoke at the funeral of George Floyd, whose death at the hands of police has sparked worldwide protests for equality.

His funeral was both personal and political. Inside the cavernous Fountain of Praise church in Houston, Texas, gospel songs played as images of Mr Floyd were shown on a large screen, interspersed with video from the marches inspired by his death.

Speaking to the church by video link, Mr Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate in November’s election, addressed Mr Floyd’s six-year-old daughter.

“When there is justice for George Floyd, we will truly be on our way to racial justice in America. Then, Gianna, your daddy will have changed the world,” he said.

“We cannot leave this moment thinking we can once again turn away from racism that stings at our very soul, from systemic abuse that still plagues American life.”

Zsa Zsa Floyd pauses near the casket of her brother George during a funeral service for him at The Fountain of Praise church in Houston, Texas (AP)

In an emotional eulogy, Mr Floyd’s niece, Brooke Williams, paid tribute to her uncle and issued a call to action.

“My uncle was a father and a brother. He always moved people with his words,” she said, fighting to hold back tears. “That officer showed no remorse while watching my uncle’s soul leaving his body.”

“I can breathe. And as long as I’m breathing, justice will be served,” she continued. “Someone said make America great again, but when has America ever been great? This wasn’t just a murder, this was a hate crime.”

Mr Floyd, 46, was killed by a Minneapolis police officer who placed his knee on his neck for more than eight minutes, despite his persistent pleas that he could not breathe.

In death, Mr Floyd became a symbol of the racial injustice that has haunted America for hundreds of years, and the face of an anti-racism movement that has spread around the world.

Mr Floyd’s death was just one in a long line of violent racial killings that shocked the US, but have so far failed to move it to action. His family was joined by the relatives of some of those other victims at the ceremony: Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Ahmaud Arbery and Trayvon Martin.

The Rev Al Sharpton paid tribute to the relatives during his eulogy.

He told mourners: “This is a time that we need to understand that they are going to do everything they can to delay these trials and delay the countability and try to wear this family down.

“Many that are standing and coming today ... will not be here for the long run. We must commit to this family, all of these families ... that until these people pay for what they did, we are going to be there with them. Lives like George’s will not matter until somebody pays for the cost of taking their lives.”

Mass demonstrations have rocked the United States in the two weeks since he was killed, but they have also spread around the world, to London, Paris and Berlin.

More than 6,000 people came to the same church on Monday for a public memorial. Today, a smaller crowd gathered for the private ceremony, wearing T-shirts emblazoned with Mr Floyd’s last words: “I can’t breathe.”

Gary Birch, 55, travelled seven hours by car from Oklahoma City to pay his respects.

“We wanted to show our support because this is going to be part of history. The word has changed. We just wanted to be here,” he said outside the church.

“Hopefully one day we can get to a place where racism isn’t part of this country. Right now it’s still very alive. We have to fight against it.”

In a busy day of tweeting, Donald Trump had not mentioned Mr Floyd’s funeral by the time it was under way, instead focusing on issues including the police response to protests, insulting his former defence secretary James Mattis and spreading a conspiracy theory about a man in his 70s who was pushed to the ground and seriously injured while talking to police in Buffalo, New York.