Brazilian Black Lives Matter protests hit the streets

Brazilian Black Lives Matter protests hit the streets

Thousands of Brazilians marched on Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo on Sunday (June 7) as part of the global Black Lives Matter protest, expressing their outrage at the death of George Floyd in the U.S. and against police brutality at home.

The protests for racial justice first erupted in the U.S. thirteen days ago after video footage emerged showing Floyd, an unarmed black man in handcuffs, lying face down on a Minneapolis street on May 25 as a white police officer knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes.

The protests have since spread globally.

A common theme of the marches abroad and in Brazil was a determination to transform outrage over Floyd's death into a broader movement to end police violence.

With more than half of Brazil's population reportedly identifying as being of African descent, many of these protesters resonate with the Black Lives Matter movement.