US President Donald Trump announced that his first election rally in months will be held on June 20 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, instead of June 19, after activists and members of the Democratic opposition criticized him for what they called a nod to white supremacists.
Taking to Twitter on Friday, Trump announced that he had decided to postpone the event one day because June 19 commemorates the abolition of slavery in the US, reports Efe news.
"Many of my African American friends and other supporters had contacted us to propose that we consider changing the date out of respect for that holiday and all that it stands for.
"Therefore, I have decided to change our meeting to Saturday, June 20, to honour their requests," said Trump.
Then the President assured that 200,000 people have already asked to attend the meeting and added: "I am looking forward to seeing everyone in Oklahoma!"
Democratic opposition lawmakers and activists from the "Black Lives Matter" movement had harshly criticized Trump's decision to hold his first rally on June 19, when the end of slavery is commemorated.
Specifically, they had criticized that the event was that day and, in addition, in Tulsa, a city that in 1921 was the scene of a brutal massacre in which up to 300 African-Americans died at the hands of white groups.
One of the voices that has criticized Trump the most has been the African-American senator Kamala Harris, who is being considered as a possible candidate for the Vice Presidency as a running mate of the Democratic candidate, former Vice President Joe Biden.
"This," Harris said this week, "is not a nod to white supremacists. He's throwing them a welcome party."
The Tulsa election rally will come amid a wave of outrage in the US. for the death of African-American George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Floyd, a symbol of the desire for change, died on May 25 after dying for nine minutes, prostrated on the ground and while a white agent pressed his knee against his neck, a scene recorded on video and sparked protests in hundreds of cities.
World leaders stay silent on ‘US President and racism’
People have taken to the streets of Berlin, London, Paris and other cities around the world to demonstrate in support of Black Lives Matter protesters in the United States and to vent anger over President Donald Trump's response to the police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota.
But at the top, the leaders of traditional allies of the US have taken pains to avoid criticising Trump directly.
Canadian PM Justin Trudeau let silence speak for itself when asked to comment on the decision to forcibly clear peaceful protesters outside the White House to make way for a Trump photo-op at a nearby church, standing pensively at his lectern apparently mulling his answer for more than 20 seconds before answering that Canada also suffered from "systemic discrimination"
German Chancellor Angela Merkel sidestepped questions from ZDF public television about Trump last week, saying the killing of Floyd was "really, really terrible. Racism is something terrible, and society in the United States is very polarised." When pressed, she conceded that Trump's "political style is a very controversial one" but would go no further when asked if she had confidence in him.
British PM Boris Johnson, who has sought to cultivate close ties with Trump, called Floyd's death "appalling.
"Mr. Trump, he has, amongst many other things, he is president of the United States, which is our most important ally in the world today," Johnson said.
No more tear gas during protests
A US judge has ordered Seattle police to temporarily stop using tear gas, pepper spray and flash-bang devices to break up peaceful protests, a victory Friday for groups who say authorities overreacted to recent demonstrations over police brutality and racial injustice.
US District Judge Richard Jones issued the two-week order after a Black Lives Matter group sued the Seattle Police Department this week to halt the violent tactics it has used to break up largely peaceful protests in recent days.
Officers used tear gas, pepper spray and other force against crowds that have demonstrated following the George Floyd's death at the hands of Minneapolis police.
Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan and Police Chief Carmen Best have apologized to peaceful protesters who were subjected to chemical weapons.
But Best has said some demonstrators violently targeted police, throwing projectiles and ignoring orders to disperse.
Hundreds are gathering and marching in the rain and some businesses have temporarily closed in response to Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County's call for a statewide general strike on Friday.
The organisation encouraged supporters not go to work or to work from home on Friday, and to take time to learn about local elected officials and local issues.
A March of Silence was underway Friday afternoon meant to "honor those lost to police brutality and institutionalized racism," with the silent part also to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.
The event in Seattle started at 1 p.m. at Judkins Park with announcements about masks being available and the band Public Enemy blaring on speakers, The Seattle Times reported. Speakers talked about demands including defunding police and ending cash bail.
New York bans chokeholds by police
New York governor Andrew Cuomo signed into law a series of police reform bills that will ban chokeholds by police and allow for transparency of officers' disciplinary records.
The "Say Their Name" reform agenda followed the death of George Floyd in custody and an ongoing pattern of police brutality against minority communities across the nation, XInhua news agency reported on Friday.
The agenda will also prohibit false race-based 911 reports, and designate the state's attorney general as an independent prosecutor for matters relating to the deaths of unarmed civilians caused by law enforcement.
"The murder of George Floyd was just the tipping point of the systemic injustice and discrimination that has been going on in our nation for decades, if not centuries," said Cuomo at his daily briefing.
He said these reforms will "make long-overdue changes to our policing and criminal justice systems while helping to restore community confidence in law enforcement."
Meanwhile, the governor said he will sign an executive order requiring local governments to develop plans that "reinvent and modernize police strategies" and address excess use of force and bias, among others.
