Test blog entry

Huge peaceful rallies have taken place across the US against racism and police brutality on the 12th day of protests sparked by the death of George Floyd.

Tens of thousands of people marched in Washington DC, in the city's largest protest so far. Security forces blocked any approach to the White House.

Crowds also demonstrated in New York, Chicago, LA and San Francisco.

Meanwhile, people paid their respects to Mr Floyd in North Carolina, where he was born, before a memorial service.

Mr Floyd, an unarmed black man, died in police custody in Minneapolis on 25 May. Video showed a white police officer kneeling on his neck for almost nine minutes while he is pinned to the floor.

Officer Derek Chauvin has been dismissed and charged with murder. Three other officers who were at the scene have also been sacked and charged with aiding and abetting.

In pictures: Protests in US and around the world
Why I decided not to watch Floyd's video
Timeline: From Kaepernick kneeling to NFL apology
Large anti-racism protests also took place in a number of other countries. In the UK, Parliament Square in central London was filled with people despite calls by the government to avoid mass gatherings for fear of spreading the coronavirus.

In Australia, there were major protests in the cities of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane that focused on the treatment of indigenous Australians. There were also demonstrations in France, Germany and Spain.