German activists form human chain in anti-racist protest

Anti-racist protests have spread around the world after the May 25 death of George Floyd, an African-American man who died in the US after a white police officer knelt on his neck for eight minutes and 46 seconds.

Thousands of German activists formed a human chain in Berlin to protest against racism while maintaining social distancing measures during the coronavirus pandemic. Several German cities were the scene of anti-racism protests on Sunday, an issue that has sparked a wide debate in the country.

In the German capital, a group called Unteilbar attracted around 8,000 people, according to police estimates. To minimize the risk of COVID-19 spread, protesters formed a 9 km-long human chain from the Brandenburg Gate to the multicultural district of Neukolln. Participants were scrupulous in wearing face masks and formed the chain by linking themselves with ribbon to avoid any direct contact.

Last weekend, at least 15,000 people attended an anti-racism protest, in some cases closely packed together. Berlin recently lifted coronavirus-related limits on the number of people who can attend demonstrations, though people are still required to keep at least 1.5 meters (five feet) apart in public.

There has been an increase in the number of racist incidents reported in 2019, according to a report by Germany's Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency. Daily COVID19 cases in Berlin have increased in recent days with 87 new infections reported on Friday, the highest number since the end of April.