Millions march: US protests against police violence and harassment against black people continue

The National March Against Police Violence in Manhattan at the weekend (Getty)

Protests against police violence and harassment of black people in the United States continued in several cities on Saturday night, from Washington DC to San Francisco. They waved signs reading “Black lives matter”, and chanted “I can’t breathe!” and “Hands up, don’t shoot”.

Organisers vowed the protests would continue until steps are taken to change the justice system to make sure police officers who kill black civilians without proper cause are held accountable.

In the largest of the marches yet seen in New York City, an estimated 25,000 people clogged avenues and streets all day. Meanwhile thousands marched through the nation’s capital led by family members of Michael Brown, the unarmed teenager shot by a police officer in August in Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner, who died in a police chokehold in July in New York.

Observers of the Washington demonstration said it was reminiscent of the civil rights marches of the 1960s. “This is one of the most well organised events I’ve ever seen,” said DC police chief Cathy Lanier.